The guayusa soda that gave them energy to be entrepreneurs. By Revista Líderes
Originally published by revista líderes
“The bubbly drink of guayusa, flavored with lemon, ginger or Jamaican flowers is the new proposal of the Sachaendemic venture. The initiative was established in May 2014 and always had a goal in mind: to revalue the native and nutritional benefits of the guayusa tree. That is why the microenterprise offers two products to the market: guayusa leaves to create teas and a carbonated drink (soda) with guayusa as the main ingredient. Both products are sold under the Wá brand. Sofía Salazar and David García are partners and managers of the venture. In 2011 they met when attending aikido classes - martial art - in Quito. The love for this practice consolidated their friendship and in the course of the following years they travel to the Ecuadorian Amazon. During their travels they acknowledge the benefits of the guayusa. The endemic plant of Ecuador comes from a tree that belongs to the family of the species known as “hierba mate”. In the Amazon is considered a sacred plant by the communities, says Sofía Salazar, manager of the venture. By traveling frequently to the Amazon, entrepreneurs learned that guayusa contains caffeine, L - Theanine and Theobromine. These components give guayusa a "great energizing power." With this information gathered, they give life to their Sachaendemic microenterprise and the Wá brand.
Initially, the venture first focused on offering infusion leaves of guayusa. But since last year they also offer soda in three different flavors. The guayusa is acquired from families in the Amazon region, who cultivate the plant with ancestral techniques and without using any chemicals. Jaime Dalgo, a native from the province of Tena, is a guayusa supplier for the brand; he also helps coordinate the delivery of guayusa from the families. He explains that the leaves delivered preserve all the nutritional and symbolic properties of the Amazon. 15 families of Archidona, Cotundo and Carlos Julio Arosemena Tola are also providers of Wá. Once they have the guayusa, it is processed by a fair trade organization. And when the supplies are ready, they are sent to the production plant of the brand located in Bellavista, on the north side of the capital.
In the plant, the carbonated drink is processed - which is sweetened with panela and does not contain flavorings; also the infusion sheets are packed with recyclable material bags. Wá sodas are marketed through fairs and other outlets such as restaurants and organic stores. Sebastián Acosta, owner of the Lambhouse restaurant, located in the north of Quito, offers Wá soda on his menu since June of last year. He says that it is important to support quality products, and the best selling soda is the Hibiscus flavour. Every two months he buys 100 units of the drink for his shop. For this year, Wá's idea is to strengthen the relationship with it’s 40 customers and to bring out new products.
The figures
Capital. It started with USD7,000.
Investment. USD 35 000 to build the plant.
Production. The microenterprise processes 2,000 liters per month.
Sales. Last year they sold USD 40,000.
Employment. Four working places.”
reference
Revista Líderes. (2016). La soda de guayusa les dio energía para emprender. Quito, Ecuador: Revista Líderes. Recuperado de: https://www.revistalideres.ec/lideres/soda-guayusa-emprendedores-economia-negocios.html