Guayakí was founded in 1996 by two college buddies from California, Alex Pryor and David Karr, who wanted to bring the traditional South American culture to North America. Today, the company is making millions of dollars, working to restore the rainforest and spreading mate throughout the world via outlets like Whole Foods and 7-Eleven. Guayakí connects purchases of its rainforest-grown products directly to farming communities in South America. The company remains privately held with offices and warehouses around the world, never losing sight of its vision and legacy of sharing mate.
In April 2021, Stefan Kozak as its new CEO. The company enjoys an undeniable reputation for having a premium-quality that cannot be matched by plantations using industrialized methods. Centuries of tradition have proven to yield a flavorful, full-bodied richness only found in Guayaki’s, carefully accomplished with respect to the wisdom shared with us by the indigenous communities living on the Guayaki Rainforest Reserve.
In addition to 150 formal employees, Guayakí works with six communities of over 350 families across 130,000 acres of South America. Ten years ago, the company set a goal to reach 1,000 families by 2020. They are on track to meet that goal. Guayakí is certified organic by USDA, fair trade by IMO, and biodynamic.
Who is the founder of guayakí ?
is mostly cultivated on industrial farms in full sun, but it is native to the canopy of the Upper Paraná Atlantic rainforest, which stretches across Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. In the mid-1990’s most Americans had probably never even heard of . Together with friends, David Karr decided to launch a company that would bring to the American market. Based in San Luis Obispo, California, the co-founders spent years living in a van and driving all over the country, brewing up free samples for consumers, and convincing natural food stores to sell their product. It would take almost 15 years before the company turned a significant profit.
Faced with a map showing 95 percent deforestation since 1900, they realized that preservation was not enough. Today, Guayakí is California’s first B Corporation. In April, 2021, the brand announced Stefan Kozak will step in as the new CEO.
comes from the naturally caffeinated leaves of a native species of holly tree, Ilex paraguariensis, found deep in the South American Atlantic rainforest. Guayakí dominates the U.S. market where it is synonymous with .
Kozak, Taylor and Klaass left after internal controversy over Red Bull’s response to George Floyd’s killing and Black Lives Matter. Over 300 employees criticized Red Bull’s "public silence" in a letter. They asked for action to "end racial injustice." Meanwhile Mateschitz owns a media firm criticized for giving far-right activists in Austria a platform.