Sympathya — A Brand Born From the Rainforest
Most brand work starts with a brief. Sympathya started with a trip to the Amazon. I co-founded this with Aquilles Jarrin — born from a shared passion for nature and transformation. GIZ, the German development agency, backed us through their incubator program in Ecuador.
Sympathya was born from a personal need for products that nurture hair, skin, and soul. Our research took us deep into indigenous cultures and the wisdom of the Rainforest, which became the heart of our brand. Every product is created with care and intention — sourced from environments that honor nature, tradition, and sustainability.
We collaborate with Yakum Org to share knowledge sustainably with communities — empowering them to work independently while fostering meaningful exchange. GIZ Germany & Ecuador have been invaluable partners, helping us explore new ways to create meaningful impact across Latin America.
What I brought back wasn’t a color palette. It was a philosophy. The brand identity, the product line, the packaging — everything flows from what the forest taught me about connection and care. Launching Q2 2026.
Every Sympathya product is created with intention. We source from environments that honor nature, tradition, and sustainability. The ritual isn’t just marketing — it’s how the product is meant to be used.
“”
— Orhan Olgar
Co-Founder
Role
GIZ Ecuador
Partner
Q2 2026
Launch
Brand to Product
Scope
challenge
Build a brand rooted in something real — not a concept, not a mood board, but lived experience. The rainforest isn't a visual reference. It's the source material.
approach
I spent time in the rainforest. Not as a tourist — deep immersion, plant medicine, learning the ecosystem from inside it. Sympathya grew out of what I found there: how the forest communicates, how identity works without language, how a living system holds its own coherence.
impact
An identity that feels alive because it came from something alive. The most personal brand I've ever built — and the one that changed how I approach all the others.