Guayakí Yerba Mate

We’ve been making yerba mate beverages for nearly 30 years, starting as Guayakí Yerba Mate. We’re a leader in ready-to-drink mate beverages across North America.

Our name, Yerba Madre, means “Mother Herb,” referencing both Mother Earth and the traditional cultivation practices of Indigenous communities. From our headquarters in Sebastopol and Venice, California, we source organic, shade-grown yerba mate directly from 255 family farmers and Indigenous communities in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Our Market Driven Regeneration™ model supports reforestation of the Atlantic Forest, fair trade premiums, and economic stability for grower communities. We achieved Regenerative Organic Certified™ Gold® status in 2025.

We offer ready-to-drink cans (in still and sparkling formats with flavors like Revel Berry, Bluephoria, Enlighten Mint, Bravo Mango, Watermelody, Lemon Elation, Awakening Orange, Cranberry Pomegranate, Classic Gold, Grapefruit Ginger, Berrymint Bliss, Citrus Spark, Cherry Jubilation), brewed yerba mate infusions, loose leaf yerba mate, and mate bags. Our products are available in over 45,000 retail locations across the U.S. and Canada.

Alex Pryor and David Karr founded the company in 1996. In 2002, we partnered with the Aché Kue Tuvy Community to focus on land regeneration and cultural preservation. Our first ready-to-drink product, glass tereré bottles, came out between 2005 and 2010. In 2016, we launched Yerba Madre Co. as our self-distribution company. We currently operate in the US, Canada, and Argentina.

We commit to ethical business practices, focusing on ten key areas: climate positivity, living wages, circularity, and inclusion. We are an original founding member of the B Corp community and the Purpose Pledge. We’ve been a certified B Corp since 2007 and are registered as a Social Purpose Corporation, sourcing certified regenerative, organic, and fair trade ingredients. B Lab recognized us as ‘Best for the Environment’ in 2012. In 2009, we became the first in the yerba mate industry to offer Fair for Life certified yerba mate.

Through our Market Driven Regeneration™ model, we aim to have a regenerative, net-positive impact on the planet and its people. Our environmental focus includes climate, water, waste and packaging, forests and biodiversity, and regenerative agriculture. For communities, we focus on human rights, livelihoods and well-being, yerba mate culture, justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, product quality, health, nutrition and working conditions, and health and safety.

We promote values of community, friendship, service, and environmental stewardship. We believe sharing and connecting through yerba mate can lead to personal, social, ecological, and cultural regeneration.

We employ 201-500 individuals. Our culture emphasizes collaboration, support, and teamwork. We value learning from diverse perspectives and working towards shared solutions. As an international company, we welcome individuals from different cultures and backgrounds.

We aim to challenge existing norms and develop innovative solutions for the global regenerative business movement. Employee development and work-life balance are priorities for us. In 2017, we launched the Ambacebador program, a community for yerba mate enthusiasts that now has over 6,000 members. We remain a privately held company.

We offer comprehensive health, vision, and dental plans, including pet coverage. Employees are eligible for a 401k retirement plan with a company match after six months of employment. We provide three weeks of paid time off, monthly yerba mate allotments, and year-round training and development opportunities.