Guayusa-Coffee - Guayusa Tea with coffee – new variety
Introduction
This article is intended to give you an idea of how we work GUYA work and how new, exciting projects arise from this. Everything included GUYA arose and continues to arise from our own interest, conviction and heartfelt desire to put something good into the world.
For everyone who is interested in our new product “Guayusa-Coffee“ are interested or just wondering why GUYA, the Guayusa A company that suddenly brings a coffee product onto the market will find the answer here.
If you just want to find out something about the taste and effect, you can find it in our article “Coffee flavored tea" the answers.
Table of contents
- How it all began
- Ecuador, the search for the best coffee farmer
- Tasting & Development
- Purchasing & Export
- challenges
1. How it all began
Who would have thought that we would... Guayusa company once Coffee product offer?
We didn't think about it and actually had to force ourselves to do it. As an absolute Guayusa We advocates practically don't drink coffee unless it's about enjoyment and the right atmosphere.
The taste has always been a big argument for coffee lovers NOT to Guayusa switch. Last but not least is Mike, our photo and videographer, a big coffee fan. During our time in Ecuador from November 2019 to May 2020, in which we filmed terabytes upon terabytes of photo and video material, we also repeatedly came across coffee trees in the Permacultures the Kichwa indigenous people bumped stumbled.
Maik started after a few weeks Guayusa powder and coffee powder to mix to have the effect of both plants. Fast and strong like pure coffee as well as long-lasting and focusing Guayusa. You can find out more about the combined effect in our article "Tea with coffee, the healthy stimulant“.
We tested different mixing ratios and became more and more euphoric because the effect was brilliant and the taste definitely appealed to coffee lovers. For social proof, we distributed our blend to people we knew were coffee lovers and also visited two baristas, including the 5-time Barista Championship Winner David Mino. Together we refined the mixture and determined the grind of the coffee so that it works best in a mocha, French press and Drippers functions.
2. Ecuador, the search for the best coffee farmers
As with our variety LEMONGRASS Our basic idea is to buy all raw materials from our partner community in Ecuador if possible. Our partner community for Guayusa and Lemongrass, however, has no experience with coffee cultivation and certainly not with processing and roasting.
So we made queer calls across Ecuador to find a suitable supplier. Unfortunately, we often do so in huge ways plantations came across that we do not want to support despite organic certification. Our concept is to work with permacultures that ensure the best possible biodiversity.
We finally found what we were looking for in a small community called WITOKA. A few years ago they decided to make coffee from Ecuador big again! Robusta coffee has taken a back seat over the last few decades due to the huge Arabica plantations. Thereby has Robusta approx. 2x more caffeine and a very interesting flavor profile! WITOKA won the award for the best Robusta Coffee International in 2019, 2021 and 2022. We visited the community and saw for ourselves the cultivation, processing and of course the people behind the project.
We have made our processes transparent for you YouTube in a short documentary held. In our opinion, no seal in the world is as valuable as true transparency and communication.
3. Tasting & Development
What crazy days! Anyone who has ever drunk too many cups of coffee knows why!
We visited the WITOKA community for a whole weekend. On the first day we visited the forest gardens and looked at the drying facilities. On the second day it was all about the perfect roast and the best grind. We tested different roasts and grinding levels for hours until we finally tested them with ours Guayusa-Powder combined to find the best mix here too.
The tasting lasted until 7 p.m. None of us could sleep and the next day was the drive back to Tena Guayusacommunity planned.
4. Purchasing & Export
Not so easy to buy from a Kichwa community who have never prepared an export to Europe, but make incredibly good coffee!
Therefore, in order to be exposed to less bureaucracy, to prepare invoicing as well as export and phytosanitary documents, we linked ours Guayusa Community with WITOKA. In this way, we were not only able to buy great coffee, but also initiated a great partnership between two communities in different regions.
5. Challenges
Unfortunately, Covid-19 also plays a major role in global logistics. Not only was it incredibly difficult to find a suitable ship, this ship was at sea for around 1.5 months longer than planned. As a result, our originally planned start date had to be pushed back again and again. Issues such as reserved slots at bottlers, marketing campaigns and packaging purchasing are the rat tail that makes the whole issue even more complicated and more expensive.
Ultimately, the start date was pushed back three months. But the quality has not suffered due to the great workmanship and safe packaging by WITOKA.
We look forward to your feedback, constructive criticism and many inspiring stories about how you like our Guayusa-Coffee-Powder uses.
