La Merced Organic Yerba Mate

You Can Taste The Difference With La Merced Yerba Mate

La Merced Yerba Mate comes from a family-owned hacienda called Las Marias, that happens to be the perfect place to grow Yerba Mate. Ideal climate. Ideal soil. Ideal everything.

Our carefully selected Yerba Mate bushes grow where the rich, red soil is at its natural best. They are cultivated organically with careful attention to soil conservation and zero use of pesticides and herbicides. It takes four years before the yerba mate bush’s leaves can be hand-harvested. It is then organically processed and naturally aged for twelve months. Natural aging is essential. It adds the finishing touch to La Merced’s smooth, friendly flavor.

We control the entire process, from planting to packaging right here in Argentina. Every package of La Merced you find in the store enjoys the benefit of our 75 years of experience and skill. La Merced is your assurance of a perfect cup of Yerba Mate, cup after cup after cup.

Our staff benefits as well, because it enables us to provide them with a better quality of life. It enables us to: furnish free medical care. Maintain a primary school. Support the Instituto Agrotecnico for Agricultural and Forestry students. Fund sports teams and recreation facilities. Provide free housing for a third of our staff and enable many more to own their own homes by donating the land and helping them get low-interest mortgages.

And the environmental benefits. We have restored acres of forest, returning birds and animals that once lived here to the areas ostriches, foxes, deer, wild cats, nutrias, monkeys, carpinchos, alligators, and birds by the flock.

“Mate is taken first thing in the morning, and again, about the middle of the afternoon, regularly. Then, besides, whenever you call upon a person, at anytime of day or evening, mate is generally served as a delicate attention, whether your visit is of business of friendship”
Frank Vincent,
Around and About South America,
Twenty Months of Quest and Query,
New York, 1889

How to Prepare Mate in a French Press

1. Brew Mate like normal loose-leaf tea in a teapot of a French coffee press
2. Allow a full teaspoon per cup, let infuse for 4-5 minutes and serve as you would regular tea
3. Mate is delicious with honey, soymilk or regular milk
4. Mate can be enjoyed in summer by adding ice, honey and any fruit juices such as orange, lemon or grapefruit.

“Yerba is one of the enchantments of this land”
Nicolas Mastrillo Duran S.J., 1628

The Magic of Mate

In 1515, the Spanish conquistadores came to what is now Argentina searching for gold and silver. They found Yerba Mate instead. To the indigenous Guarani people of the forest, Yerba Mate was everything. It was food. It was drink. It was everything.

The gauchos made Yerba Mate their constant companion. After a hard day’s work on the pampas, they gathered around the campfire, put the precious herb (Yerba) into a hollowed out gourd (Mate), covered it with hot water, inserted a hollow reed (bombilla), and passed the gourd around so that each could share the refreshing beverage.

Today, Yerba Mate is the favorite drink of all our people. It is the way to lift your spirits*, to start the day, to greet guests, and to share good times with friends and family.

With less caffeine than coffee or tea, Yerba Mate is a smooth, natural source of energy*, and like green tea, Yerba Mate is rich in polyphenols.

Experience the magic of our Mate, the world’s favorite.

“I reached the place of our bivouac by sunset, and drinking much mate, soon made up my bed the night. The wind was very strong and cold, but I never slept more confortably”
Charles Darwin, Voyage of the Beagle, 1836

Return To Top