Mate – green gold from South America

For centuries, mate, also named yerba mate, has been a popular and traditional ingredient for beverages in the southern part of South America. Already in the 16th century the Spanish conqueror Pedro Mendoza mentioned this stimulating drink of the indigenous natives.

The “superfood“ mate – loaded with promising ingredients
The leaves of the mate shrub, which are used for teas and other beverages, are given numerous health-promoting properties. According to that mate is thought to have saturating, diuretic and digestive effects, while the relatively high caffeine content is stimulating and activating. Added to this, there is a high amount of antioxidants, vitamins, and also minerals. All these factors make mate an ideal companion for a conscious lifestyle.

Highest product quality due to close cooperation
Following the trends of the last years towards functional and natural food and beverage ingredients, mate is becoming more and more popular worldwide. To satisfy this increasing demand while maintaining high product quality, we at Martin Bauer rely on direct cooperations with mate farmers in South America.

For example, we are directly involved in the joint venture Ervateira São Mateus in Paraná, Brazil. As a part of this cooperation, we are continously improving the technologies for processing raw mate. Thanks to the permanent optimisation of the processing methods, we are able to guarantee consistently high quality levels for all product types from green mate to roasted (or toasted) mate. And this for both conventional and organic qualities.