Runa Origin Story

Runa began as a conversation over tea, during the hours before sunrise in the Amazon rainforest. In the winter of 2008, a team of students traveled to the Ecuadorian Amazon to participate in an ancestral tea ceremony with the Kichwa people - a tradition of storytelling, music, and learning – all centered around a large boiling pot of guayusa tea over a burning fire. While drinking guayusa tea together, the communities shared a vision to expand their circle and bring their traditional daily guayusa tea to friends around the world.

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

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

-Tyler and Dan