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Guayakí brought yerba mate into the international spotlight by bringing it back into the shade.
Steeped in tradition over centuries, yerba mate leaves are harvested from a South American holly plant, ilex Paraguariensis, which naturally thrives in the rainforest shade in regions of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.
Brewed like tea, yerba mate leaves produce an alluring drink touted to provide “the strength of coffee, health benefits of tea and euphoria of chocolate.”
Although it is traditionally shade grown, deforestation has recently led people to begin cultivating yerba mate in full sun, compromising both quality and flavor.
Every sip of fair-trade, organic Guayakí Yerba Mate helps to bring this native plant back to the rainforest.
“Our mission is to steward and restore 200,000 acres of rainforest and create 1,000 living wage jobs by 2020,” says Guayakí Co-Founder David Karr, who partnered with his college friend Alex Pryor from Buenos Aires to establish the company in 1996. “We are achieving that goal sip by sip.”
Originally they set out to protect existing rainforest while also providing fair-wage jobs and a future for many farmers in these regions. But they quickly recognized an even greater opportunity to actually restore parts of the rainforest that had already been destroyed.
Guayakí has already restored more than 40,000 acres, and the more yerba mate people drink, the more rainforest they can rebuild and protect.
To make this tradition even easier to share around the world, Guayakí offers convenient ready-to-drink bottled yerba mate and energy shots in addition to traditional loose-leaf blends and tea bags.
Wondering how much of a difference you can make by sipping yerba mate? Guayakí has a nifty online tool so you can calculate your impact opens in a new tab.
Why do you choose to drink Guayakí?
