Specialty Food Association presented awards last night to industry leaders at Winter Fancy Food Show, San Francisco, CA. Among the honored was Tyler Gage, co-founder and co-CEO, of Runa Tea for Citizenship.
About Tyler Gage:
After Tyler's freshman year at Brown University, Tyler was given the unique opportunity to study Amazonian plants and languages in South America, and he soon became fascinated by the richness of the native culture and their relationship with the rainforest. He spent the better part of three years living throughout the upper Amazon and during that time, Tyler developed a passion for working with the indigenous communities, striving to find new, and sustainable ways for them to earn a living while preserving their culture. While in Ecuador, Tyler discovered guayusa (pronounced “gwhy-you-sa”), a local plant brewed like tea that has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years throughout the Ecuadorian communities. This little plant became Tyler's opportunity to help these communities thrive in the modern world. For his work, Tyler was named a Forbes "30 Under 30" in the January 2013 issue. In his free time, Tyler enjoys playing soccer, frisbee, practicing yoga, traveling, and eating good food. He currently lives in Brooklyn, NY near the Gowanus Canal, which will never be mistaken for the Amazon River.