Over the years, the change in lifestyle has heavily impacted the health of today’s generation. Limited food options with less time in hand are on the prime reasons for deficiency in the nutrient food. Furthermore, this cycle of unhealthy and unbalanced diet continues until someone notices its effect on the health. One should always look for healthy food options that are not only self-sufficient but also provides a healthy balanced diet. At times, it is difficult for a person to get a complete balanced diet that could eliminate all the deficiencies in the body. A healthy food option which tastes better and also provides all the health benefit is rare to find.
The pattern of consuming processed food is rising, where the quality of food is also degraded due to the various chemical preservatives added to it. Founded in 2017, Waku is one of the rare companies present in today’s market whose recipes are created traditionally centuries ago in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador. This recipe is locally known as “horchata lojana” and it is consumed daily with a meal because of the digestive benefits and its great taste.
Supporting a Healthy Gut
Waku’s search came to a halt when the company was welcomed by the community living in Ecuador. With the help of a local farmer there, the company got to learn about the tonics. The Co-founder duo of Waku, Juan, and Nico, who had grown up in Quito, Ecuador, noticed the difficulties faced by the farmers and how their daily livelihoods and incomes were affected by the various factors. Waku sources all their herbs and flowers from family farmers in Ecuador at fair prices to improve their livelihoods and preserve the ancient cultural tradition. The word Waku is inspired in the Quechua language which is the most widely spoken language of indigenous people from the Central Andes Mountains. Waku means “conjunto” (in Spanish), which translated to English means “together”. With the traditional recipe, it prepared a tonic that is known for its refreshment taken and to provide a feeling of overall well-being. Waku Plant-based Tonic focuses specifically on supporting a healthy gut through the natural anti-inflammatory properties of the 20 herbs and flowers included in every blend.
Offering the Best Blend of Quality and Taste
Waku is known for its authenticity as it keeps a check on every single process in the supply chain to deliver the highest quality product possible. The herbs are directly sourced from the Andes Mountains and then brewed the herbs directly to the bottles in small batches to ensure quality and taste. It doesn’t use any concentrates or artificial flavors.
These tonics offered by Waku are low calorie, vegan, caffeine-free and gluten-free. The list of different tonics includes-
- Lemon Mint: It is the first flavor released in the Boston market and is most closely based on the ancient recipe from the Andes Mountains. It is one of the refreshing drinks with a balanced brightness of the lemon and sweetness.
- Unsweetened Floral Blend: It is one of the rare drinks which contain herbs and flowers with no sweeteners with zero added sugars and zero calories. This is a complete tonic pack with a punch of aromatic and herbal flavor.
- Passion Fruit: It is a tropical blend with real passion fruit juice straight from the source to the infusion of 20 herbs and flowers for a resulting taste that is unmatched.
- Ginger Lemongrass: With the added health benefits and delicious spicy taste of ginger and with the light citrusy tang of lemongrass.
- Raspberry Rose: The bottle of raspberry rose to contain only 10 calories per bottle with the entire sweet floral flavor of raspberry and rose.
A Journey of Compassionate Entrepreneur
Juan Giraldo, CEO, and Co-founder of Waku Inc. started doing business at a very young age and was successful to start his company at the age of 19. Prior to his MBA, he started companies in different industries. The time when he was moving to Boston, he decided to move into agribusiness. Juan and his friend Nico were motivated to help out the local farmer in Ecuador. He wanted to improve the livelihood of the farmers living thereby cutting the middleman and decided to pay fair trade prices to them. Channelizing all the resources at the right place, Juan asserts, “Our dream is to create a brand that customers really love and is good for their body, by sharing traditions from the Andes Mountains of Ecuador with the world, and make a bigger impact on more families.”
As a CEO, Juan’s goal is to create a brand that really connects with consumers at a deeper level and also Waku as a company is crucial for his lifetime goals. In the next five years, he wants the company to have a nationwide distribution with a diversified portfolio of products. And as a part of the plan, its impact in Ecuador will also expand to other regions and hundreds of more farmers. Currently, Waku is available in over 200 locations in New England, including Market Basket, Dave’s Marketplace, and many of the natural and independent locations in Boston.
Connecting With Consumers
Nowadays, consumers are very well aware of the quality of food and their nutrient value. The awareness is caused because of the internet and use of social media. These consumers also know their consumers’ rights and how to exercise them. As a food and beverage company it is equally important to play a crucial role in providing quality food. To build trust with consumers and also as part of good ethical conduct, companies should mention all the ingredients used in processing the food. Waku Inc. is a consumer company that believes in providing all-natural products with all the nutritional information on it. Here are some of the feedbacks of the consumers that just loved the product.
I found this tea for the first time last night and immediately bought 2 bottles! I have a rare auto-inflammatory disorder as well as a chronic stomach condition and am always looking for safe and effective ways to ease the symptoms! I am drinking this now for the first time and it is AMAZING! I tried to drink kombucha but could not stomach the taste…this is perfect!!!! – Shane (Architect)
Found out about Waku through a friend. Have been addicted to it ever since; its unique blend of herbs creates a delicate and rich taste that will grow on you very quickly. Love it love it! – Jessica (Designer)
