Why Amsterdam Is Becoming Europe's Yerba Mate City

If you have walked around Oost, Noord or De Pijp lately, you have probably seen it. Someone drinking from a metal straw out of a little gourd, or opening a can with that earthy, grassy smell. Yerba mate is popping up everywhere in Amsterdam right now. In gyms, in coworking spaces, at markets, on café counters next to the oat milk. And honestly, it kind of makes sense.

What is Yerba Mate?

A brief explanation for anyone who has not tried it yet. Yerba mate comes from the leaves of a plant called Ilex paraguariensis, which grows in South America. It has been brewed and shared for generations in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. But it is not just a caffeinated drink. It is a ritual. People pass the gourd around, take turns, talk and refill it again. It is less about grabbing a drink and running, and more about sitting down and being present with people. That part is a big reason it is connecting with people here.

Why Amsterdam, Why now?

So why Amsterdam, and why now? A few things are happening at the same time. People are looking for coffee alternatives that do not give them that crash around 2 p.m. Yerba mate gives a smoother kind of energy, thanks to its natural mix of caffeine, theobromine and antioxidants. Amsterdam also has one of the most health-focused, wellness-loving populations in Europe, plus a food and drink scene that is always looking for what is next. And there is a cultural side too. With more South Americans living and working here, the ritual itself is becoming something people actually see in daily life, not just something you read about online.

The numbers back this up too. Europe keeps getting mentioned as one of the fastest-growing regions for yerba mate, pushed by demand for natural, functional drinks and a general move away from sugary energy drinks. Amsterdam, with its love of anything organic, feels like the perfect place for that to grow.

From Brazil to Amsterdam

Here is where it gets personal for us. Mati did not start because yerba mate suddenly got trendy. We started before most people in Amsterdam even knew what yerba mate was. Elisa and Suza, brought it over from Brazil because they missed the ritual, not just the caffeine, and they wanted to build something that respected where it comes from. Organic, sugar-free, roasted the traditional way, no shortcuts. That meant a lot of early conversations explaining what yerba mate even was, one café at a time.

More than just a drink

Being early to something means you get to help shape it, instead of just selling into it once it already exists. We think a lot about how to introduce yerba mate to Amsterdam in a way that keeps the culture alive. The sharing, the slowing down, the connection. Not just turning it into another can on a shelf. That part matters to us more than the sales numbers.

Amsterdam becoming a yerba mate city is not really about one brand. It is about a city that genuinely wants to know what it is drinking and where it comes from. We are happy to be some of the people who helped bring it here early on. And even happier that it has become something much bigger than us.