We want to share our story about the broader impact that sourcing botanicals can have on communities. This article tells the story of a novel Amazonian tea and its incredible impact on the indigenous people that produce it.
What is Guayusa?
瓜尤萨（"gwhy-you-sah")is a caffeinated holly species that grows only in the upper Amazon basin of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Historical records suggest that leaves from guayusa have been used and traded since at least 500 CE.i传统上，诸如亚马逊奇奇瓦（Amazonian Kichwa）等土著社会啤酒瓜尤萨（Guayusa）非常像茶。但是，瓜尤萨与用于制造绿茶品种的茶花无关。取而代之的是，瓜尤萨（Guayusa）是yerba伴侣的堂兄植物，并包含复杂的抗氧化剂和咖啡因的构成。当前对瓜尤萨的研究表明，其独特的功能属性提供了集中的认知能量。结果，这种成分迅速成为Premium Energy Market的完美匹配，该市场迎合了运动营养，促智能和电子竞技产品。
Environmental Impact - Thriving in ancient agroforestry gardens。
Over the last six years,Applied Food Sciences(AFS) has worked to build a sustainable supply chain of responsibly and ethically sourced guayusa through cooperatives and associations of indigenous smallholder farmers across Ecuador and Peru. Rather than industrial plantations, we work with thousands of independent farming families from more than ninety different communities to source our guayusa. Our collective mission is to provide high-quality organic guayusa and ensure a stable and diversified income for our farming communities and the environmental conservation of the Amazon rainforest.
Like many Amazonian plants, guayusa does not thrive in mono-crop systems. Instead, guayusa is grown in ancient forest gardens known as "chakras" among trees and other vegetation utilizing patterns observed in nature. Chakras apply similar growing techniques to agroforestry and permaculture. Farming in this method reduces the need to degrade or cut down the rainforest and creates a more diverse, productive, and ecologically sound land-use system.ii一些脉轮将拥有五十多棵本地硬木树和九十种不同种类的食用或药用草药。我们培养的番石榴经经过认证的有机和非GMO项目已验证。
Cultural Impact - The value of supporting indigenous people
在全球供应链中，我们面临着令人生畏的现实。世界上的土著人民不到人口总人口的5％，但设法保护了80％的全球生物多样性。iiiEcuador just so happens to be one of the seventeen megadiverse countries of this world. Its total forest coverage is approximately 11.6 million hectares representing 42% of the national surface area.ivHeralded as the defenders of this expansive Amazon forest are the indigenous Kitchwa people. They could use all of our support.
For AFS, we approach this opportunity through a collection of Kitchwa-run cooperatives representing over 4,000 Kichwa families guarding over 60,000 hectares of upper Amazon forest. The co-ops' primary objective is to help small producers earn higher wages by sharing resources and reducing risk by including more stakeholders. The associations are also committed to the future, working with companies like AFS to help train and develop Kitchwa people in more technical fields. One of the end goals is to improve the research and cultivation of the many nutrient-rich 'superfoods' native to these regions.
Human Capital - Employing and empowering women and youth.
There is a global crisis: Young people are not farming, and we are steadily losing generational agriculture practices. In the US, for example, the average age of farmers is 57.5 and has been on the rise for thirty years.vWhen there are gaps in intergenerational agriculture, the consequences affect the entire community economically, environmentally, and culturally. However, some examples fall counter to this alarming trend. For instance, in Kitchwa communities, women mainly run chakras, and young people are educated and empowered by their families to be involved.
Kitchwa社区的妇女通常被称为“ Chakra Mamas”，被委托为这些古老的农林业花园的主要看护人。此外，他们还具有保留祖先知识并将其传递给子孙后代的重要任务。培养脉轮包括种植和管理种子，监测动态生态系统以及适应气候变化。有很多危险，这些家庭了解到将年轻人委托成为下一个管家至关重要。AFS与AFS合作的土著小农场由约66％的女性生产者和30岁以下的年轻人组成。但是我们对人力资本的投资迈出了一步。
Communities with educated, healthy, and skilled workers experience better economic growth and stability. These individuals tend to be leaders of innovation and entrepreneurial activities and statistically will lead to even more high paying jobs within the community.viAFS contributes by providing more science, engineering, and other STEM-related training opportunities. Our scientists regularly travel to Ecuador to work with the local community and collaborate on establishing best practices for product quality, safety, and transparency.
Social Impact - Guayusa is part of our daily lives。
瓜尤萨（Guayusa）是厄瓜多尔日常生活的一部分。每天早上2:00左右，您会发现Abuelas或其他准备“ Guayusita”的家庭成员。这是一个瓜尤萨（Guayusa）的仪式，在黎明之前开始煮一大锅瓜耶萨（Guayusa）叶子。几个小时后，其他社区成员将加入在传统的“ Pilchi”木制碗中搭配的浓缩瓜尤萨茶水。他们说，瓜耶萨会激发他们的精力，但它将在每个人开始一天的时候净化和保护每个人。社区利用早晨的时间来寻求长者的指导，通常描绘了前一天晚上的梦想。这种日常实践说明了瓜尤萨如何将kitchwa人连接起来。
瓜尤萨（Guayusa）社会影响的另一个奇妙例子是《夜间守望者》的故事。几个世纪以来，这就是Kitchwa猎人的昵称，因为他们会在夜间狩猎前喝瓜尤萨。狩猎领导人说，瓜尤萨（Guayusa）提高了他们的意识，并赋予他们能量，同时提供平静，使他们能够完全保持不变而不会焦躁不安。这些看似违反直觉的好处在整个Kitchwa历史上都得到了描述，这只是Guayusa如何将Kitchwa人联系起来的另一个例子。
Financial Impact – A community partnership
The actual financial impact of guayusa is still largely underrealized. Within the last ten years, many families we work with only grew small amounts of guayusa in their chakras for daily consumption. Only recently did guayusa start to demonstrate its economic potential, and families began to cultivate it intentionally. Today guayusa has economic, cultural, and historical value in Ecuador and abroad. This crop symbolizes the Kichwa culture and its progress on a global level.
许多社区都有广泛的脉轮，包括咖啡，香蕉，木薯，可可，香草，姜，姜黄和瓜尤萨。家庭报告说，由于瓜尤萨的持续商业化，他们的收入提高了40％。此外，这是Covid-19-19大流行期间经济复苏的重要组成部分。应用食品科学现在是该地区瓜尤萨的最大购买者，我们很自豪能够为社区产生积极的财务影响。
瓜尤萨（Guayusa）的持续成功取决于在特殊市场和天然产品行业内厄瓜多尔以外的成分的销售性。我们最好用Amatea脚步®organic guayusa extract standardized to the two most notable active compounds in guayusa in caffeine and chlorogenic acids. We continue to support our ingredient's unique functional benefits through ongoing clinical research bridging the gap between ancient history like the "Night Watchman" and modern science. The supplement and beverage companies we supply are excited about the more focused energy that guayusa provides. But it is the sustainable story behind the ingredient that makes us all fall in love with guayusa.
- Lorence, David H., 1999, Monographs in Systematic Botany of the Missouri Botanical Garden, Vol. 75. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri
- Erhardt/Bünner, 2012. D+C Development and Cooperation, Agroforestry makes sense for marginalized people in the Philippines Uplands
- Garnett, Stephen T. et al. - A spatial overview of the global importance of Indigenous lands for conservation
- SCBD 2022. Status and trends of biodiversity, including benefits from biodiversity and ecosystem services
- USDA 2017 Census of Agriculture). By 2030, an estimated 70% of privately held farmlands within the US will change ownership (Shute, Lindsey Lusher. 2011 BUILDING A FUTURE WITH FARMERS: Challenges Faced by Young, American Farmers and a National Strategy to Help Them Succeed
- 亨德森和亚伯拉罕，2005年；Metcalfe和Ramlogan，2005年；Munnich和Schrock，2003年
