A perfect match for ethical mate
The global rights to UK based yerba mate infusions brand YUYO DRINKS LTD1 have been acquired by German mate company META MATE2. The two ethical and organic brands are joining forces as a partnership, and operations for both companies will be consolidated in Berlin.
Europe’s leading yerba mate brand
Meta Mate and Yuyo are setting their sights high. Together the two brands are pitching themselves as a European mate powerhouse, the go-to source for consumers looking for the whole range of mate products, from drinking cups and raw loose mate through to teabags and energy drinks.
Providing a possible model trajectory on the other side of the pond is the Californian company Guayaki, which has had huge success building a US brand solely on mate. Guayaki’s range of mate energy drinks line is sold across North America, and the company took on $6 million in external investment in 2018 following a period of prodigious growth.
Meta Mate founder Fabricio do Canto:
“We first met the Yuyo co-founders when they stopped by our shop in Prenzlauer Berg to share a mate back in 2016. From the very beginning we felt really identified with one another and knew there was a synergy there. We have been collaborating ever since and this is the natural next step in our union.”
Combined store listings include Ocado, Whole Foods UK, Bio Company in Germany and export partnerships with the USA, Brazil and Scandinavian countries. Stockists interested in adding Meta Mate or Yuyo products to their shelves should contact info@metamate.cc.
Ethical union
Meta Mate sources all of its mate through ethical cooperatives and growers in Brazil and Paraguay, under its direct sourcing certification system Fair Trust. This system is about open dialogue between farmers and consumers, and absolute commitment to transparency about the origins, processing and financial side of yerba mate production. It recognises that small producers often meet all of the criteria for organic
and fair trade, but may struggle to be formally certified; Fair Trust allows them the autonomy to thrive by working and selling directly for themselves, rather than via a large corporation. By buying Meta Mate and Yuyo products, consumers can be assured they are contributing to protecting the wild Paraná forests from soy monoculture, facilitating reforestation projects and supporting the livelihoods of people who live and work there.
Yuyo co-founders Rosie Marteau and Charles Grummitt:
“Meta Mate has such passion, energy and vision, and we know they will take the brand we’ve built to the next level, respecting its creative origins and ethos. Yuyo will be in safe hands, and we look forward to seeing more people discover yerba mate through this partnership.
“This isn’t just a business decision: it’s also about the positive power that trading in yerba mate can have when done right. Together, Meta Mate and Yuyo can have a greater and more enduring environmental impact in South America.”
Notes to editors
1. Yuyo Drinks Ltd. Winners of the Seed Fund 2015 (UK annual competition for future food stars – http://theseedfund.co.uk/), Yuyo was launched April 2016 by Spanish translator Rosie Marteau and biochemist Charles Grummitt following a year travelling in Latin America. It is the first British company to produce a range of yerba mate infusions.
www.yuyo.co.uk | Twitter & Instagram: @yuyodrinks #escapetheordinary | FB: /yuyodrinks
2. Meta Mate UG. German company with Brazilian roots, which imports and markets ethically sourced mate products for wholesale and retail across Europe. Mate ‘activists’, Meta Mate advocate for fair direct trade, ecological permaculture and fair and sustainable and collaboratives business practices in yerba mate agriculture.
For more details on the merger, stock listings and the future of the two brands, contact Fabricio and Krithika do Canto at info@metamate.cc.
