Specialty Food Magazine

WINTER 2014

Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.

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2014 LEADERSHIP AWARD: CITIZENSHIP Tyler Gage, Runa Tea I mmersing himself in the indigenous communities of Ecuador gave Tyler Gage insight into the daily lives of the Kichwa people and their struggle to embrace cultural traditions while making a living to support their families. Through those very traditions, he found a way to help. Inspiration PHOTO: RUNA TEA As a college student, Gage traveled to Ecuador in 2008 to study Amazonian plants, and found an inextricable connection between nature and the indigenous Kichwa tribes. "For the native community," he explains, "the supermarkets—they're the rainforest." He became absorbed with their culture and way of life, but soon recognized a stark dilemma. "I'd spend all night in incredible ceremonies with rich expressions of these native traditions," he recalls. "But then, as soon as the sun would rise, you'd hear chainsaws cutting down hardwood trees." His hosts often spoke strongly of the importance of protecting the environment and, through them, he learned of the daily challenges these communities face. In an increasingly globalized world, giving up valuable rainforest land was the only means of income to support their families' needs of health, education and basic necessities. Gage found a solution from within. Guayusa, a native plant the Kichwa brewed into tea, offered a daily source of energy and antioxidants with a smoother taste than many typical teas. Americans' love affair with healthful energy drinks was growing, so in his final year at school, Gage and Dan MacCombie, a classmate The original, BOTTLE-MATIc 3 YEAR WARRANTY INCLUDED Front and Back! MADE IN USA! For Specialty Food readers, Only $1450! Label any cylindrical container fast and accurately from ½" to 10" diameter, @ Speeds of 1200 Pcs. per hour. NOT THE CHEAP IMPORTED KNOCK-OFF! ISPENSA-MATIC DLabel Dispensers 21 day trial Price subject to change without notice. 28220 Playmor Beach Rd, Rocky Mount, MO 65072 Call Toll Free: 1 (800) 325-7303 or (573) 392-7684 FAX:(573) 392-1757; E-mail: info@dispensamatic.com Web: http://www.bottle-labeler.com 2/01/09 STOP Wasting Time Labeling by Hand! Winter Fancy Foos Show Booth 4400 WINTER 2014 33

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