At Yachana we're dedicated to finding workable solutions in the struggle between the ideals of rainforest preservation and the realities of life in the Ecuadorian Amazon. We employ an innovative development model based on a non-profit/for-profit organizational structure to provide education, fight poverty and disease, foster grassroots community organizations and conserve Ecuador's imperiled tropical forests.
We've created two for-profit companies, Yachana Lodge and Yachana Gourmet, to meet our need for long-term financial sustainability. In 1995 we constructed Yachana Lodge which is located deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon on the banks of the Napo River 2.5 hours up river by motorized canoe from the city of Coca. After 13 years of operation, the lodge is an internationally recognized geo-tourism destination which has won numerous awards, including the Condé Nast Best Ecotourism Lodge In the World Award (2004) and the World Travel and Tourism Council "Investing in People" Finalists Award (2006).
In 2000, we started Yachana Gourmet, a socially conscious company created to purchase Amazon cacao, add value in our factory in Quito, and open international markets for the Yachana Jungle Chocolate. In August 2007, both companies were donated to the Yachana Foundation by their owner and founder of the Foundation. Now, the profits from both companies will guarantee the sustainability of the Yachana Foundation (formerly known as FUNEDESIN) and it's Yachana Technical High School. It's worth mentioning that over the years, as part of our Yachana Gourmet initiative, we've worked with a number of international organizations to provide training in sustainable cacao production for thousands of impoverished Amazon families.
