Foreign Dollars for an American Dream

To create jobs, governments typically invest in local businesses. But Ecuador looked beyond its borders and invested in Runa, a small New York–based firm that markets guayusa, a caffeinated drink. The investment tackles numerous policy goals: The drink is made from leaves of holly, native to the Amazon; developing a commercial product could preserve rainforest and aid indigenous communities. Napo legend suggests that visitors who drink guayusa return to Ecuador’s jungle. Runa’s 25-year-old co-founder discovered the beverage as a teen, explains Coeli Carr, writing for Portfolio.com. The business began as a Brown University student project, winning prizes and a grant from Ecuador’s export division, which then recommended the equity investment. The government holds company shares, which will eventually be transferred to indigenous communities. Carr concludes, “A company that goes out of its own geographical comfort zone for cash could receive a big payoff,” both in profits and social good. – YaleGlobal