RUNA and Olivia Wilde's Conscious Commerce Company Partner to Launch New Guayusa Tea, Mint Honeysuckle

BROOKLYN, N.Y., Sept. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- RUNA, a line of organic and non-GMO ready-to-drink teas and energy drinks, is pleased to announce the debut of a new flavor created in partnership with Olivia Wilde's Conscious Commerce initiative. Conscious Commerce is a creative company and incubator, founded by best friends Olivia Wilde and Barbara (Babs) Burchfield, whose mission is to integrate conscious consumerism into every market and retailer. The two helped to develop RUNA's newest flavor, Unsweetened Mint Honeysuckle Tea, made with real honeysuckle extract. The flavor will hit store shelves nationwide September 2016.

"Babs, Olivia and I met through mutual friends in late 2015 and quickly recognized our shared passions, first for sustainable business models and then for tea," RUNA CEO and co-founder Tyler Gage said. "We wanted to develop a unique, eye-catching flavor that would invite consumers to explore the tea's origin and inspire conscious engagement. Mint Honeysuckle reflects the creative touch and visionary lens behind Conscious Commerce and the rich fabric of heritage, ecology and mission that makes up RUNA's DNA."

The concept of the flavor came after Babs, Olivia and Tyler experimented with different flavor combinations with RUNA's main ingredient, guayusa tea leaves from the Ecuadorian Amazon. Recognizing that brewed guayusa has an inherently smooth and subtly sweet taste, they agreed upon an unsweetened tea. Babs gravitated to the bright, refreshing quality of mint to mirror the inspiring nature of the product. Tyler had a dream, literally, about honeysuckle, and the three chose to use the naturally sweet, floral flavor in the tea.

"The partnership between RUNA and Conscious Commerce has allowed us to further support our passion for ethical, eco-friendly and sustainable businesses," said Wilde. "I love that people can help change the lives of communities across the world by doing something as simple as purchasing a bottle of RUNA tea."

Mint Honeysuckle Tea proudly features the Conscious Commerce logo on the label. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of RUNA's Mint Honeysuckle Tea will go toward The RUNA Foundation, a U.S.-based public charity with a mission to search for new ways to create value in tropical forests that benefits local communities and forest ecosystems. The RUNA Foundation provides a reliable income stream for guayusa farmers, while respecting their deep-rooted cultural and traditional practices. The company is responsible for replanting more than one million trees in the Amazon rainforest.

RUNA's ready-to-drink teas, including the Mint Honeysuckle flavor, are available in retailers nationwide such as Whole Foods Market, Wegman's, Safeway and more, as well as amazon.com/runa for an MSRP of $1.99.

About RUNA
RUNA is line of organic teas and natural energy drinks made from the rare Amazon guayusa (gwhy-yu-sa) leaf. RUNA's products are non-GMO and Fair Trade certified, and the brand is committed to sustainability and social responsibility in all facets of its business. As a trade up from traditional coffee, teas and energy drinks, guayusa tea offers as much caffeine as coffee and boasts a rich profile of polyphenols, flavonoids, and l-theanine. The RUNA name translates to "fully alive" in the language of the Ecuadorian Amazon, whose indigenous peoples have consumed guayusa for thousands of years. As part of the brand's social responsibility commitment, RUNA supports over 3,000 of the indigenous farming families that grow guayusa through direct employment and other programs. RUNA is recognized as one of Inc. Magazine's 500 Fastest Growing Companies in the country. A-list investors include Leonardo DiCaprio, Channing Tatum and John Isner, among others. The company is based in Brooklyn, NY and is privately held. Visit http://www.runa.org/ for more information.

About Conscious Commerce
Conscious Commerce was created as a response to non-sustainable fundraising efforts for nonprofit organizations. Conscious Commerce creates dynamic campaigns and experiences that connect non-profit foundations to sustainable businesses. Additionally, CC works with global brands around the world to integrate social consciousness into current business models, exponentially increasing engagement and awareness. Recent partnering brands include Birchbox, Anthropologie and H&M, in which a portion of portion of profits went to directly to specific charitable projects.

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http://www.runa.org