The business of Yerba Mate is undergoing a remarkable transformation process due to the great expansion of the offer that translates into approximately more than 200 local brands, including the most traditional and well-known to the smallest, handmade and new. And this is because the business around yerba has a significant advantage: unlike other infusions, the plant is planted and harvested on Argentine soil.
“Undertaking through Yerba Mate allows you to unite a visceral passion that defines the Argentine gene with a means of income and a way of life. One of the causes of this expansion is that from the economic point of view it is possible to undertake with very low-cost investments, which are within the reach of many people. In addition, Yerba Mate is a product that is sold,” he said. Diego Morlachettiteacher of the University Diploma in Yerba Mate Marketing from the UAI.
According to a report from the National Yerba Mate Institute, between January and May of this year, the highest consumption of yerba mate in the last decade was recorded. In this regard, statistical data indicates that in those months the sum of sales in the domestic market and exports totaled 130,111,264 kilosbecoming a record number.
In the study, it is observed that at the end of last May, 115,167,035 kilos locally, a volume that had never been reached for the period contemplated. Instead, exports totaled 14,944,228 kilos. The current trend shows that consumption in other countries, beyond the fact that the autochthonous infusion is still unknown in some regions of the planet, is increasing.
These numbers also highlight another furore, that of the new brands of premium yerba mate and organic semblance of craftsmanship. These products are usually worth on average double or triple the value of the conventional retail market. In some cases, there are even packages of 1 kilogram with a price of up to 15,000 pesos. Although in volume it is a level lower than that of industrial production, these new herbs with very attractive qualities for consumption were installed as a trend.
The fact that it is such a popular infusion in the country also gave rise to an expansion of the offer that has allowed the proliferation of various new business units in cities such as Rosario, Puerto Iguazú, Oberá, Mar del Plata, Pilar and the City of Buenos Aires, among others, related to the product. Some of the ventures related to yerba mate are:
Mate Bar
With a high level of gastronomic sophistication, these are themed bars where customers can request mate en bombilla table service, choose from dozens of labels within a select menu and pair with a solid food that matches the palate. of the chosen Yerba Mate.
Those who carry out the service in these innovative proposals introduce clients to extremely important details such as: water temperature, recommendations for priming, performance of a Yerba Mate and even how to verify the pairing in the mouth.
Mate Shops
These are specialized stores where customers can purchase many different brands, most of which are difficult to find in traditional outlets such as supermarkets and department stores, and also purchase accessories. These new businesses offer specific advice to find out about parking time, characteristics of the blend, amount of stick and powder and origins.
Yerba Mate Tastings
Different hotels in Argentina offer their guests of European or Asian origin Guided Tastings through which it is possible to learn the basic differences between the existing options, live a unique sensory, olfactory and taste experience and appreciate the nobility of this drink that from South America is projected towards the world.
Yerba Mate Blending
These are ventures dedicated to “blending” in Yerba Mate. Today there is a wide variety of palates achieved from the mixture with ingredients such as dehydrated fruits, flowers, spices, autochthonous natural herbs, etc. This segment previously called compound herbs is captivating people who were not related to Yerba Mate, as well as the youngest (millennials and centennials), who revalue the typical drink through these combinations.
Yerba Mate Sommelier
The Argentine School of Tea and the Interamerican Open University have the precedent of having launched, in 2022, the Yerba Mate Sommelier University Diploma, which marked a milestone in the education of this drink. It was recognized as being of Provincial Interest for its contribution to culture in June of this year by the House of Representatives of the Province of Misiones.
Recently, within the framework of the Yerba Mate University Diplomas jointly coordinated by the Escuela Argentina de Té and the UAI, a training proposal emerged on the University Diploma in Yerba Mate Marketing. A 100% online training that allows those interested to know the classic tools -hard skills- of marketing together with the integration of modules associated with the development of creativity, inspiration and personal mastery, such as managing emotional states, models for making balanced decisions , etc.
The diploma also includes issues related to business units, customer profiles, product promotion and other content focused on helping new entrepreneurs, people who work in related fields, who work in commercial fields, to perform in the market. gastronomic or business linked to Yerba Mate and the general public.
Image gallery
