Runa began as a pre-dawn conversation over tea in the Amazon rainforest. In the winter of 2008, a team of students traveled to the Ecuadorian Amazon and participated in an ancestral tea ceremony with the Kichwa people – a tradition of storytelling, music, and learning – centered on a large boiling pot of guayusa.

Collectively, they envisioned a business that could share this rich-tasting beverage with the world – a business that would respect cultural traditions, support small farmers, and maintain the integrity of the Amazon rainforest.

Runa, meaning “fully alive” or “fully living human being,” continues to grow from this seed of conversation and exchange. They are energized to share this tradition with a global community.