Green Options

If someone stopped you on the street and asked you to name the national drink of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay would you:

A) Look at them funny and ask, “What is a Paraguay?”
B) Answer, “Coffee,” because how else do people function?
C) Proudly grab a gourd and silver bombilla from your bag?

If you answered C, then you already know about the popularity of Yerba Mate (pronounced mah-taay) tea throughout South America. And you probably also know about the health benefits of mate and that it boasts 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids and has more antioxidants than green tea. But what you may not know is that Guayakí, the Sebastopol, California-based yerba mate purveyor has just become the first company in the world to offer fair trade certified yerba mate through the Fair for Life certification program.

Some of you may already drink yerba mate on a regular basis, or you have only heard small mentions of yerba mate and how wonderful it is, or you may have never even heard of it at all.  But if you enjoy your daily cup of coffee you may want to make the switch to yerba mate after what I have to tell you.

The Source

Yerba mate is actually made from the stems and leaves of the small yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) tree, a member of the holly family native to Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.  Yerba mate has been awarded such titles as “The Drink of the Gods” and “the green gold of the Indios”.  It was discovered centuries ago by the native people of South America and has been consumed to increase energy, health and longevity.  It is the national drink of Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina, and is commonly consumed throughout South America.