Andean landscape

Ecuador · Sustainable Luxury · Est. 2026

Born in the Andes.
Refined by Design.

Urkaya brings Ecuador's finest natural materials — tagua jewelry, hand-woven textiles, and Amazonian guayusa — to conscious consumers and retailers worldwide.

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Handcrafted in Ecuador
0% EU Import Duty
Artisan Community Sourcing
Sustainable Materials Only
Export-Ready Documentation
Artisan at work
Woven textile detail
Tagua jewelry

Our Story

Born from two worlds.
Built for one purpose.

“Urkaya” comes from the Kichwa word for mountain. It is not a metaphor — it is a declaration of origin. Everything we make begins in the Andes and the Amazon basin of Ecuador: a country of extraordinary natural wealth and some of the world's most skilled hands.

We founded Urkaya because we believed that the tagua nut deserved better than a souvenir table. That guayusa deserved better than obscurity. That the weavers of Otavalo and the carvers of Montecristi deserved global markets — not just local ones.

Read the full story →

Meet the Artisans

Rosa Chimbo
Rosa Chimbo
Tagua carver · Montecristi, Manabí
"The tagua nut has a memory. You cannot force it — you have to listen to it."
Carmen Quispe
Carmen Quispe
Master weaver · Otavalo, Imbabura
"Every pattern is a story. When you carry the poncho, you carry the story with you."
Miguel Tapuy
Miguel Tapuy
Guayusa cultivator · Napo Province, Amazon
"We wake before dawn to drink guayusa together. It has always been this way."
All artisans →

The Shop

New arrivals

View all products →
Statement earrings

Tagua Jewelry

Statement Earrings

Hand-carved tagua in bold, geometric forms. Lightweight enough for all-day wear; striking enough to be the only accessory you need.

From €28

Andean poncho

Textiles

Andean Poncho

Woven on a traditional treadle loom by Carmen Quispe's cooperative in Otavalo. Natural wool, plant-based dyes, and a pattern that is centuries old.

From €95

Carved necklace

Tagua Jewelry

Carved Necklace

A single tagua pendant, shaped by hand and finished with natural dye. Each one is unique — the nut determines the form.

From €42

Guayusa loose leaf

Guayusa

Premium Loose Leaf

Sun-dried guayusa leaves from Miguel Tapuy's family chacra in Napo Province. Smooth, earthy, energising — with none of the crash.

From €14

Jewelry and craft
01

Line One

Jewelry & Sustainable Fashion

Tagua jewelry, hand-carved from Ecuador's vegetable ivory. Ponchos and artisan textiles woven by Andean craftspeople. Each piece carries a story that no machine can replicate.

Tagua JewelryPonchosWoven Textiles
Shop the collection →
Guayusa botanical
02

Line Two

Guayusa & Amazonian Botanicals

The Amazon's best-kept secret — a natural energiser with no crash, rich in antioxidants, and ancestral in its roots. Used by Kichwa communities for over 1,500 years.

Dried LeafTea BagsRTD Coming Soon
Discover guayusa →

Origin & Impact

The Materials

Full materials guide →
Tagua nut

Vegetable Ivory

Tagua

A seed from Ecuadorian palm trees, internationally recognised as the sustainable alternative to animal ivory. Hard, durable, warm in the hand — and better than plastic in every way that matters.

Learn more →
Guayusa leaf

Amazonian Botanical

Guayusa

Used for 1,500 years by Kichwa communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Natural caffeine, L-theanine, and antioxidants — without the crash of coffee or the edge of synthetic energy.

Learn more →
Andean textiles

Andean Heritage

Textiles

Hand-woven by Otavalo artisans using techniques over 2,000 years old. Natural fibres — sheep wool, alpaca, organic cotton — dyed with indigo, cochineal, and achiote. Every pattern is a cosmology.

Learn more →

Transparency

From the Andes to your door

We keep our supply chain short, documented, and fully traceable — from the artisan's hands to the end customer, with no hidden steps and no anonymous intermediaries.

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Step 01

Harvest

Materials sustainably harvested from Ecuador’s forests and highlands by partner communities — by hand, in season.

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Step 02

Craft

Artisans in Montecristi and Otavalo shape, weave, and finish each piece by hand using traditional techniques passed down through generations.

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Step 03

Quality Check

Every batch is inspected against Urkaya's standards. Anything that does not meet them is returned or repurposed — never sold.

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Step 04

Export

Full customs documentation prepared: phytosanitary certificates, certificates of origin, customs invoices. Zero import duty under the EU–Ecuador FTA.

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Step 05

Delivered

Minimal packaging. Tracked and insured shipping. Every order arrives knowing exactly where it came from and who made it.

Community Impact

Every piece gives back

A portion of every Urkaya sale returns directly to the artisan communities that make the brand possible — funding fair wages, skills training, and cultural preservation programmes. We do not use the word “impact” lightly. We use it to mean: money, in the right hands, doing measurable good.

Our impact report →
Artisan community

“Every piece carries the memory of a mountain.”

Certifications & Standards

Built on verifiable integrity

We pursue the certifications that matter to our buyers — not as marketing tools, but as commitments to the people and places behind every product. Below is where we stand today.

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ARCSA Registration
● Active

Ecuador's national health authority registration for guayusa production and export. Required for all food-grade botanical exports.

♾️
EU–Ecuador FTA
● Active · 0% duty

Preferential import tariff for Ecuador-origin goods entering the EU. We provide certificates of origin with every shipment.

🤝
Fair Trade (WFTO)
◐ In progress

Formal WFTO fair trade certification underway with our Ecuadorian artisan partner network. Expected completion 2026.

🌱
Organic (Guayusa)
◐ In progress

Organic certification for the guayusa line through an accredited certifying body in Ecuador. Application submitted.

For Trade & Wholesale

A partnership built on transparency.

Urkaya offers European importers and retailers a complete trade proposition: exceptional products, full export documentation, and a relationship — not just a transaction. We are actively building partnerships in Germany and the wider DACH region.

Duty

0% Import Tariff

The EU–Ecuador Free Trade Agreement eliminates import duty on tagua jewelry (HS 960200) and qualifying guayusa lines. We provide a certificate of origin with every shipment.

Documentation

Export-Ready

Phytosanitary certificates, certificates of origin, customs invoices, and packing lists — all prepared by Urkaya for every order. German-language documentation available on request.

Minimums

Flexible MOQ

From 10 pieces per SKU for jewelry, 5 pieces for textiles, and 2 kg for guayusa. Trial orders welcomed. Volume discounts scale with order size.

Request a Trade Pack

Frequently Asked

Questions & Answers

Journal

Stories from the Andes

All articles →
Tagua carving

Craft

The women carvers of Montecristi: how tagua became a livelihood

March 2026

Amazon rainforest

Botanicals

What is guayusa, and why is Europe paying attention?

March 2026

Trade research

Trade

Selling Ecuadorian craft to Germany: a practical guide

April 2026

Press & Media

Telling the Urkaya story

For journalists, editors, and trade publications covering sustainable fashion, ethical sourcing, Latin American exports, or the wellness market — everything you need is here.

Ambiente Frankfurt
GEPA Trade
AHK Ecuador

Key Facts

Founded2026 · Quito, Ecuador
Product LinesArtisan jewelry & fashion · Guayusa & Amazonian botanicals
MaterialsTagua vegetable ivory · Natural Andean textiles · Wild-cultivated guayusa
Primary MarketGermany & DACH region
Trade Advantage0% EU import duty under EU–Ecuador FTA
Press Contactpress@urkaya.de

Brand Assets

🖼
Logo Pack
SVG + PNG · Light & Dark · All formats
Download
📷
Product Photography
High-res · 12 images · ZIP 48 MB
Download
📄
Brand Fact Sheet
PDF · 2 pages · English & German
Download
👤
Founder Bios & Headshots
Short & long form · EN / DE / ES
Download
Press enquiry →

Get in Touch

Let's start a conversation

Whether you're a retailer looking to stock Urkaya, a journalist researching sustainable trade, or a customer with a question — we are here, and we respond within 24 hours.

📍

Based in

Quito, Ecuador

📞

Phone & WhatsApp

+593 96 282 2757

✉️

General

hello@urkaya.de

✉️

Trade & Wholesale

trade@urkaya.de

✉️

Press

press@urkaya.de