Forest garden with Guayusa trees in Napo province, Ecuador

Napo, Ecuador

Hand holding a WAYA can against a pink evening sky over the Glarus region

Glarus, Switzerland

The story of WAYA

From Ecuador to Glarus

A leaf from the forest gardens of Napo. A can from Switzerland. And the story in between.

To the story

One story, two worlds.

From the rainforest to the Glarus Alps.

From leaf to can.

— This is WAYA.

Origin · Amazon · Kichwa

Rooted in the origin

Young Kichwa woman with a bundle of Guayusa leaves and a calabash
Guayusa leaves and calabash, Napo province. Photo: Matchachin

Before sunrise, a ritual begins in the Amazon. Families gather to drink Guayusa. Dreams are shared, knowledge passed on — from generation to generation.

Guayusa is more than a drink. It is the moment that begins the day.

The Kichwa call the plant «Wayusa». That is where our name comes from.

  • Documented for around 1,500 years
  • Kichwa tradition
  • Amazon, Ecuador

Botany · Ilex guayusa

A tree in the forest garden

Chakra in Napo province: Guayusa growing among other plants beneath tall trees
A Chakra in Napo province. Photo: Matchachin

Guayusa is a member of the holly family from the Amazon, related to mate. Ours doesn't grow in monoculture, but in the Chakra — the forest garden of the Kichwa.

There it stands among cassava, maize, turmeric and peanuts, in the shade of large trees. According to our partner Matchachin, this system needs neither chemical fertiliser nor pesticides.

Two hands stripping Guayusa leaves from a branch

We bring it into a new form: light, crisp, modern.

Botanical classification: Ilex guayusa Loes. · Aquifoliaceae

Our partner · Direct Trade

Guayusa from Matchachin

We source our Guayusa from Matchachin. The start-up from Germany was founded in 2016 by Pablo and Joshua and works with Kichwa families in Napo province.

In the language of the Kichwa, «Machachyn» means to be positively intoxicated. The forest gardens lie in Napo province, near Archidona. According to Matchachin, it works there with more than 50 Kichwa families and communities.

According to Matchachin, it pays the families considerably more than the regional trade price — and leaves them free to sell to others as well.

By its own account, Matchachin launched a three-year project in 2021, funded by DEG (develoPPP), aiming to take on 50 more Kichwa families and communities, each with one hectare of Chakra.

Founded
2016
Kichwa families and communities
50+
Province in Ecuador's Amazon
Napo

From tree to dried leaf

  1. Young man cutting a branch on a Guayusa tree with pruning shears

    Cutting

    Branches are cut every three to five months. Around 30 per cent stays on the tree.

  2. Woman with a woven basket during the Guayusa harvest

    Stripping

    The leaves are pulled off the branch by hand and collected in baskets.

  3. Woman laying Guayusa leaves on wooden drying racks

    Drying

    Three to four days in the shade on wooden racks, then with warm air at a low temperature.

Joshua and Pablo, the founders of Matchachin
Joshua and Pablo, the founders of Matchachin
More about Matchachin (opens in a new tab)

Photos: Matchachin

Heritage · Connection

Between two worlds

WAYA grows out of a connection that reaches back further than the idea of a drink. One half leads to the Ecuadorian Amazon.

The other leads to Switzerland — to the son of an Ecuadorian father and a mother from Glarus, raised between two cultures.

Samuel Acosta grew up in Glarus, with an Ecuadorian half in his heart. Summers in the Amazon, winters in the Alps.

"WAYA is my bridge back home."
Illustrated portrait of Samuel AcostaSamuel Acosta, founder of WAYA

Beginnings · Glarus

How it all began

It began with a father giving his son something to try.

  1. Renan brings the guayusa

    Samuel's father Renan had been selling guayusa as an extract for years. One day he said to his son: give this a try.

  2. The first sip

    Samuel tried it — and felt awake, focused, full of drive. He started reading: closely related to mate, rich in natural caffeine, native to the rainforest of Ecuador. The place where the family's finca stands.

  3. Ten litres at Namaste

    For the pre-listening session of the album «Grenzgänger» at Namaste in Glarus, Samuel brewed ten litres — following Renan's recipe, mixed with cascara.

    "Bro, that's a different league."
    A friend at the pre-listening session. He couldn't sleep until six in the morning.

  4. Served on tap

    Marcel suggested serving the drink on tap at Namaste. Daniel refined the recipe, with peppermint and lime among other things. That's how it went for about a year.

  5. Landsgemeinde Glarus

    The first public outing: at the Landsgemeinde in Glarus, still without a can. Then at the Christmas market — and then back at the Landsgemeinde.

  6. From the tap to a can

    At that second Landsgemeinde, Samuel and Marcel sat down together: this should become a proper drink. Then they asked Marc whether he wanted to join. Together with Daniel and Renan, that makes five. The blend that ended up in the can was Daniel's.

Five founders: Samuel, Renan, Marcel, Daniel and Marc.

Supply chain · Step by step

From Napo to Glarus

Five stops from the tree to your hand.

  1. Napo, Ecuador

    Harvest in the Chakra

    Kichwa families harvest the leaves in their forest gardens.

  2. Ecuador

    Drying in Ecuador

    Pre-dried in the shade, then gently with warm air.

  3. Germany

    Matchachin

    Our partner imports the Guayusa via Direct Trade and delivers it to us.

  4. Switzerland

    Infusion and canning

    The leaves are made into an infusion. Filled and quality-checked in Switzerland, in 33cl aluminium cans.

  5. Glarus

    Warehouse and shipping

    From here, WAYA goes to bars, shops and events — and to you.

3.8g Guayusa per can — that's about 12 fresh leaves.

The can · Symbolism

What's on the can

WAYA can, 33cl

  • The Woman

    The silhouette of a Kichwa woman. Keeper of tradition and knowledge.

  • The Leaf

    Ilex Guayusa. A symbol of roots and origin.

  • The Colours

    Deep Glarus green + bright Amazon lime.

  • The Wordmark

    Bogart — Swiss precision meets Ecuadorian soul.

Ingredients · Nutrition

What's inside

Water · guayusa-cascara infusion · beet sugar (5.7 g/100 ml) · carbonation · citric acid

  • No aspartame
  • No taurine
  • No colourants
  • Vegan
  • Gluten-free
Caffeine
53 mg
Sugar / 33cl
18.8 g
Calories / 33cl
78 kcal

Comparison

WAYA vs. the rest

Comparison: WAYA, Energy Drink, Filter coffee
WAYAEnergy DrinkFilter coffee
Caffeine per serving53 mg (330 ml)80 mg (250 ml)90 mg (200 ml)
Caffeine per 100 ml16 mg32 mg45 mg
Sugar/100ml5.7g11g0g
Caffeine sourceGuayusa, cascaraAddedCoffee bean
TaurineNoUsuallyNo
VeganYesMostlyYes

Caffeine reference values: EFSA (2015). Energy drink sugar: typical value.

Half the caffeine of an energy drink per 100 ml.

Bar culture · Mixology

Signature Drinks

Five drinks. One brand. Endless possibilities — for the apéro, for the bar, for a Wednesday night at home.

See all recipes
  • Dream Peach — Signature drink with WAYA Guayusa

    Dream Peach

    Sweet dreams, clear mind

  • Hugo — Signature drink with WAYA Guayusa

    Hugo

    Sparkling between two worlds

  • Mule — Signature drink with WAYA Guayusa

    Mule

    Ginger + lime + skills

  • Disco Waya — Signature drink with WAYA Guayusa

    Disco Waya

    Bubbles for the stage

  • Turbo Waya — Signature drink with WAYA Guayusa

    Turbo Waya

    Pure, clear, powerful

Team · Glarus

The people behind WAYA

A small team from Glarus.

  • Illustrated portrait of Samuel Acosta

    Samuel Acosta

    Founder & CEO

  • Illustrated portrait of Marc

    Marc

    IT & Brand

  • Illustrated portrait of Marcel

    Marcel

    Sales & Events

  • Illustrated portrait of Daniel

    Daniel

    Recipe, Sales & Events

  • Illustrated portrait of Renan

    Renan

    Origin & first recipe

  • Illustrated portrait of Lara

    Lara

    Coordinator & Marketing

More about us

Values

What we stand for

  • Natural

    Caffeine from plants: guayusa and cascara. No taurine, no aspartame, no colourants.

  • Honest

    We say where our Guayusa comes from and who grows it.

  • Forest garden, not plantation

    Our Guayusa grows in the Chakra — among other crops, in the shade of large trees.

  • Swiss made

    Recipe, canning and quality control in Switzerland.

WAYA can in the grass of a meadow in the Glarus region, with mountains and a pink evening sky behind it

Our stance

WAYA is not an energy drink.

WAYA is a connection.

Between origin and present.

Between forest and city.

Between tradition and modernity.

This is WAYA.

Try it now.

To the shopSignature Drinks

B2B & Events: marcel@waya-drinks.com

Waya-drinks by Acosta Altamirano · Glarus, Switzerland