Young entrepreneurs Tyler Gage and Dan MacCombie are making waves with Runa, a company that produces a coffee alternative from guayusa, a naturally caffeinated Amazonian plant.
During a stay with Ecuador’s Kichwa people, Gage discovered guayusa’s benefits: natural sweetness, double the antioxidants of green tea, and caffeine content equal to coffee.
Runa not only offers a sustainable alternative to traditional coffee but also empowers Amazonian farmers.
By providing 100,000 guayusa seeds and buying leaves at three times the lumber price, Runa discourages deforestation.
In 2014, the company contributed $400,000 to 3,000 families and planted 150,000 trees.
Supported by celebrities like …
