Why we went to Brazil: The story and beginning of Mati

In search of better energy, we went to Brazil

Yerba mate is slowly becoming more known, but the reality is that most people still don’t really understand what it is or where it comes from. And honestly, that makes sense, because the mate drinks you find here in Europe rarely tell the real story. They’re often sweet, carbonated, and positioned like just another soft drink, which means people might try it once, but never actually discover what mate truly represents.

Because mate isn’t just a drink. It’s something that comes from an age-old tradition, deeply rooted in South American culture, where it’s shared, passed around, and consumed in a completely different way than most drinks we know.

We felt that if we were going to build something around mate, we had to do it properly. Not by reinventing it, but by understanding it first, and by telling the real story behind the plant.

Going to the source

That’s what brought us to Brazil.

We were invited to visit the people behind the yerba mate we work with, giving us the chance to experience the entire process from the source. Not just how it’s made, but where it grows, how it’s harvested, and how it’s actually consumed in daily life.

Being there gave us a completely different perspective. We saw the forests where the mate plants grow, the care that goes into processing the leaves, and the way people drink it as part of their everyday rhythm, not as a quick boost, but as something steady, simple, and consistent.

Capturing the story

At the same time, we realized that this was a story that needed to be shared.

Because once you understand mate in its real context, everything about it starts to make more sense: the taste, the effect, and the role it plays in people’s lives.

That’s why we decided to bring our videographer, Ole, with us, so we could document the journey and translate what we experienced into something others could see and understand as well. Not as a polished commercial, but as an honest way to show what mate really is, where it comes from, and why it’s so different from what most people in Europe know.

Why it matters

Coming back from Brazil, one thing became very clear to us. The version of mate that we experienced there is still largely missing here. And that’s exactly why we started Mati: not to create something new, but to bring back something that already existed, in a way that stays as close as possible to its origin.

Because once you understand mate, you don’t just drink it for energy.
You drink it differently.

Join the ritual.

Love,
Elisa & Suza