Accessing international markets
How diversifying non-timber forest products made from guayusa leaves is increasing income through exports to international markets.
The process of transforming and processing organic guayusa at the processing plant, promoting the inclusion of young people in production processes and ensuring quality and safety for domestic and international markets (Photo: Zamira Grefa/Marieke Kandulla)
In the Amazon region of Ecuador, guayusa is considered by Indigenous Peoples to be a sacred leaf that represents the identity, energy and worldview of the Amazonian Kichwa people.
Historically, communities have safeguarded this biological and cultural wealth, but for decades they faced an insurmountable commercial barrier: they could only sell the leaf as bulk raw material, with no alternative to generate a higher profit margin on their product.
The Wiñak Artisanal Agricultural Association decided to change this. Wiñak is one of five grassroots organisations represented by the Corporation of Associations of the Amazonian Chakra (Corporación de Asociaciones de la Chakra Amazónica) – also known as Corporation Chakra – that brings together hundreds of producer families who manage thousands of hectares under the Amazonian Chakra system.
Composed entirely of Kichwa families, Wiñak has 250 direct members (of whom 171 are women and 15 are young people) and coordinates with 450 commercial partners. Despite their immense natural wealth, they had no income from value-added guayusa products.
Forest and Farm Facility activities
From 2023-25, the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) funded Wiñak to diversify its guayusa products. Support began in 2023 with the development of a market study to identify opportunities for differentiated products. The company invested in and developed an intensive training programme on good agricultural and manufacturing practices, integrated pest management, and hazard analysis and critical control points.
Product development progressed rapidly. Through pilot tests and specialised technical advice, Wiñak formulated innovative blends of guayusa with Amazonian herbs, presented in packaging and on labels that proudly showcase their cultural identity for high-value markets.
Significance of impact
The commercial impact has been extraordinary: Wiñak has secured a commercial partnership under a ‘private label’ arrangement, for which Wiñak developed more than 17 new recipes for infusions and herbal teas that are now exported and sold in Europe.
Before FFF’s intervention, the association had no annual sales of finished, value-added guayusa products. This new business line now generates an estimated annual additional income between US$15,000 and $20,000, with a clear upward trend.
But the true success of this project lies in its social impact, directly benefiting 598 producers that receive fair prices and market stability for non-timber forest products such as guayusa. Ten women and young people have also taken on technical and commercial leadership roles.
The leadership of youth in this process has inspired a youth innovation project called My First Chakra, led by the association’s own young members, who now see the countryside and community-based agribusiness as a source of dignified and profitable employment within their own territory, curbing rural migration.
Conclusion
Harnessing the cultural and spiritual value of guayusa has enabled Wiñak to diversify production and increase income through exports to international markets. Without the support of FFF, this progress would have been impossible.
Today, Wiñak is establishing itself as an international business partner, demonstrating the Indigenous bioeconomy is a driving force behind sustainable rural development in the Amazon.
Further reading
News: Conserving agro-biodiversity through Indigenous chakra systems in the Andes, Forest and Farm Facility (2023)
News: The Amazonian Chakra, a traditional agroforestry system managed by Indigenous communities in Napo province, Ecuador, FAO
Video: Results of the Forest and Farm Facility in Ecuador, FAO (2026)