The rainforest is one of the most precious gifts on our planet, however, how many organizations work with this valuable resource, instead of against it? Guayaki Yerba Mate, a rainforest grown, certified organic, fair trade yerba mate is different from any other drink on the market. It has the caffeine from coffee, theophylline from tea,…
Guayaki
Badges 7/12
Location
Sebastopol, CA
Industry
Food & Beverage
Legal Structure
Hybrid
Ownership Model
Private
Employees
51–200
Why we are in business
Our Purpose
Our passion is sharing the magical yerba mate and its mythical origins, while inspiring the most positive systematic changes for the people and forest along the way. Our vision holds that yerba mate culture will power our Market Driven Restoration business model to regenerate ecosystems and create vibrant communities. Our mission is to steward and restore 200,000 acres of South American Atlantic rainforest and create over 1,000 living wage jobs by 2020 by leveraging our business model.
Like the seed of the mate tree, Guayakí started small on the California Central Coast in 1996. From two with a vision, to five friends on a mission, we set out to share yerba mate and pioneer a revolutionary Market Driven Restoration business model to empower customers to drive tangible change with every purchase.
This business model directly links our customer’s purchases to our partner farming communities in the South American Atlantic Rainforests. Our partners sustainably harvest organic yerba mate from rainforest grown cultivations and reforestation projects, generating a renewable income stream which enables these communities to improve their lives and restore their lands.
Today, as a growing team of cebadores, we are serving up yerba mate culture and connecting with communities worldwide. Led by spirit, Guayaki remains a privately held company to steward our vision and ensure our legacy.
How we operate
Our Practices
We strive to operate our business in a way that maximizes benefit to all life impacted, and to share our practices to inspire other companies to do the same.
1/5
Purpose-First
Clearly defining your mission and demonstrating your commitment to it through a theory of change that drives your strategy, impact measurements that track your progress, incentives that keep purpose a priority, and/or a legal structure that ensure social and environmental objectives are upheld.
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Earth-Friendly
Energy
Thriving towards carbon neutrality through energy minimization and monitoring, renewable energy sources, eco-friendly transport, and purchasing carbon credits to offset emissions.
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Guayaki
100% Renewable Energy 100% Renewable Energy
Guayakí is proud to have converted its entire operation to 100% renewable energy by transferring all of its conventional electrical power usage to renewable solar energy. We offset over 55 tons of our corporate CO2 footprint…locally. In tandem with this commitment, we have purchased enough solar power to offset the carbon 1 energy market in…
Guayaki
2/5
Water & Waste
Minimizer
Thriving to achieve zero waste through recycling and reusing initiatives, composting and water conservation, and tracking progress towards set reduction targets.
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Guayaki
Biodegradable and Recyclable Packaging Biodegradable and Recyclable Packaging
Our packaging material is a minimum of 100% recycled corrugated cardboard with 30% post consumer, although most are 100% post-consumer waste. Our packaging peanuts are made of plant based materials (dissolve in water) or salvaged and cleaned from other companies that we collect from inbound materials. Our plastic pallet wrap is recyclable. Our bottle shipper…
Guayaki
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Guayaki
Recycling and Green Programs Recycling and Green Programs
Guayakí recycles all office and scrap paper, cardboard, cans, bottles, and plastic in the blue bin. We salvage and recycle any metal or wood waste; as well as obsolete or unusable electronic and computer components to prevent adding heavy metals to landfills. In our office, we “recycle, reduce, and re-use” as a daily practice. Real…
Guayaki
1/5
Eco-Minded
Materials
Earth-friendly materials used to operate the company (i.e. recycled paper) to construct and furnish offices and facilities (i.e. bamboo flooring), and to produce products and their packaging (i.e. biodegradable materials).
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Guayaki
Chemical Free Facility Chemical Free Facility
Guayakí does not use, nor allow within its facility, chemical cleaning agents, bleaches, synthetic and chemical based soaps, ammonia, chlorine, dioxide, commercial pest repellents, fumigants, or other synthetic agents which are harmful to ourselves and the environment. Pest management practices include the use of sticky traps. We do not fumigate nor do we use chemical…
Guayaki
2/5
Caring Through
Sharing
Caring for mission-aligned causes by generously sharing business resources such as your products and services, meeting space, excess materials, media exposure, company best practices, and employee time and talent.
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Guayaki
Giving Back to the Communities Giving Back to the Communities
10% of what is paid for the Yerba Mate production goes back to the communities as a reward for social developments of their communities; which helps improve their quality of life immensely. It provides the men and women harvesting the Yerba Mate with higher wages to be able to afford food, schooling, and luxuries they could…
Guayaki
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Guayaki
Market-Driven Restoration Mission Market-Driven Restoration Mission
With a passion for mate, we have pioneered an innovative business model that directly links our customer’s purchases to our partner farming communities in the South American Atlantic Rainforests. Our partners sustainably harvest organic yerba mate from rainforest grown cultivations and reforestation projects, generating a renewable income stream which enables these communities to improve their…
Guayaki
1/5
Planet-friendly
Partners
Choosing suppliers, distributors and other partners that share your commitment to creating a better world and adhere to clearly defined social and environmental standards.
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Guayaki
Certified Organic and Fair-Trade Certified Organic and Fair-Trade
Guayakí only works with farmers who are certified organic through a USDA accredited certification agency, and they must have clear and transparent working conditions in place. Our products are 3rd party certified by CCOF. CCOF maintains one of the most consumer recognized and trusted seals in the organic marketplace. In 2009, Guayakí became the first…
Guayaki
What we impact
Our Performance
![Organic Four Color Organic Seal - AI (Adobe Illustrator) [Converted]](https://gamechangers.co/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Organic-Four-Color-Organic-Seal-AI-Adobe-Illustrator-Converted.svg)
USDA Organic
Read More USDA Organic
Growing organically is an essential part of sustainable agriculture. Organic agriculture protects the water supply, enriches the soil, encourages biodiversity & helps reduce the toxic burden on our bodies and our planet. There are many components of sustainable agriculture that go beyond organic cultivation: recycling nutrients, composting, and integrating crops with the surrounding forest environment. Sustainable agriculture is essential for creating healthy environments and communities.
Certification offers valuable assurance that an acceptable standard is followed. Certification assures consumers that organically produced foods and textiles meet a consistent set of standards that were developed and regulated by the USDA’s National Organic Program.
Fair For Life
Read More Fair For Life
Fair for Life promotes an approach of Fair Trade that allows all producers and workers who are at a socio-economic disadvantage to access a wider range of social and economic benefits. Fair Trade is part of a broader context of sustainable development within a region that safeguards and supports the local social fabric, particularly in rural settings. These principles hold true equally well in the Global South as the Global North and apply throughout the whole supply chain covering producers, traders, manufacturers and brand holders.
Certified B Corporation
Read More Certified B Corporation
B Corps are for-profit entities that meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency — certified by the nonprofit B Lab.
B Corp is to business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee or USDA Organic certification is to milk.
Today, there is a growing community of more than 1,000 Certified B Corps from 33 countries and over 60 industries working together toward 1 unifying goal: to redefine success in business.
Jobs
What we look for when hiring
Guayaki only hires candidates who are genuinely passionate about our mission, fit our culture, and share our organization’s core values. We hire for attitude, and train for skills.
First, we look for people who are in love with life and learning, enjoy sharing, and are self-aware.
Second, we like open-hearted people who are healthy, passionate, and have high integrity.
And last, we want people who resonate with our vision and mission.
If you’re interested in joining our amazing team, here’s what we put on our job descriptions:
- Must be a self-starter and proactive.
- Commitment to excellence and high standards.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Good judgement with the ability to make timely and sound decisions
- Creative, flexible, and innovative team player
- Demonstrated ability to make successful presentations to individuals and/or groups at all levels of an organization
- Strong organizational skills; able to manage priorities and workflow.
- Ability to work independently and as a member of various teams and committees.
- Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, and percentages.
- Excellent problem resolution and consultative sales skills.
- Proven ability to handle multiple projects and meet deadlines
- Strong interpersonal skills.
- Ability to prepare reports and business correspondence.
- Versatility, flexibility, and a willingness to work within constantly changing priorities with enthusiasm.
Where to find us
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Guayaki as a for-benefit business