EcoTeas has its roots in friendship and hope. We began with the intention to work together to help improve the world. Initially, Stefan Schachter (pictured left in the center) had the idea to start an organic yerba mate company. He learned about the tea in high school when he went on a work-relief project to Paraguay.

He started the business in partnership with his childhood friend, Brendan Girard (in the red shirt at right). They ran the business out of their living room in a small house in Ashland's railroad district. They blended herbs in their kitchen and created labels for their packages on a dusty inkjet printer. They served tea at farmer's markets, festivals, and local grocery stores. Friends stopped by to drink mate and play a game of chess. EcoTeas earned a reputation for providing consciously-grown, great-tasting tea at excellent prices.

As the company grew, they invited college friend Joe Chermesino to join the team. He left his job teaching high school English in Washington State. He slept in the backyard garden that first summer with his camping mattress and sleeping bag. There wasn't much money to go around, but the three friends had a lot of fun in the nearby mountains. They had community, purpose, great food, and plenty of time to follow their creative pursuits.

The next leap forward came when Stefan flew down to Argentina and met up with the Kraus family of organic yerba mate farmers. It was the best yerba mate he'd ever tasted. He got along well with the hospitable family. The connection grew solid when Milton Kraus proposed a partnership with EcoTeas to help supply North America with his one-of-a-kind yerba.

Pretty soon we found ourselves with more business than we could handle. It was a blessing and a challenge in one. We decided to take the opportunity to diversify our employee base. Our first priority was to hire a capable woman who could contribute her unique energy to our many daily tasks and decisions. Kelly has been a great addition.

To learn more about our personal views and intentions, keep reading...

My vision for EcoTeas is a small, prosperous tea company that aligns with the planetary effort to build a peaceful and sustainable future. I believe that conscious business has a very important role in this effort. Our challenge is to design systems of agriculture, trade, industry, and investments that protect and restore our planetary resources. To do this, I feel we must empower ourselves by organizing with other green businesses, environmental and political groups, activists, educators, and healers. I see EcoTeas emerging as a business leader in the movement back to the land. Together may we sip our teas in excellent health as we dream up a better world.

My intention is to exist on the Earth as a low-impact citizen. Being simple resonates with me. Each morning I walk to work down 5th street with my thermos, gourd and bombilla, over the train tracks to our warehouse. Working with my two best friends creates many opportunities to grow in our relationships, synergize our minds and spirits, and empower each other to develop personally and professionally. We aspire to model a better way to conduct business. We cultivate fair relationships, study natural systems, and innovate ecological solutions. EcoTeas makes us feel alive, and what the world needs is people who feel alive.

I grew up in the suburbs of New England. For me, nature was the mossy place beyond the old farm wall at the edge of my yard. I remember sitting back there in the woods and looking at living things up close. I would imagine that I'd grown small enough to walk into the moss, where the little beetles were bigger than buses. Nowadays, although I've grown older, I still like to go back there sometimes. We humans tend to forget that we live in a beautiful web of life. We need to take a break every day and remember this. I like working with healthy organic teas. They inspire healing while they're grown in a way that's good for the earth.