Guayakí Yerba Mate Rebrands as Yerba Madre, Deepening Its Regenerative Mission and Honoring Indigenous Partnerships
SEBASTOPOL, Calif., and VENICE, Calif., May 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Guayakí Yerba Mate, the pioneer of regenerative yerba mate beverages in North America, is rebranding as Yerba Madre™, a new name that reflects a deepened commitment to people and planet, and the ancestral roots of yerba mate.
"Yerba Madre"—meaning "Mother Herb"—honors Mother Earth and the Indigenous knowledge at the root of the brand's nearly 30-year journey. The brand's original name, Guayakí, was inspired by its first partnership in 2002 with the Aché Kue Tuvy community in Paraguay. What began as a single collaboration has grown into direct partnership with 255 family farmers and Indigenous communities across Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay working together to regenerate the Atlantic Forest and preserve the cultural heritage of yerba mate through organic, shade-grown cultivation.
"This rebrand is about coming back to our roots and recommitting to the mission that inspired the company decades ago," said Alex Pryor, co-founder of Yerba Madre. "Yerba mate is more than a beverage, it's a tradition, empowering cultural and ecosystemic relationships. Yerba Madre honors the communities who have grown the yerba mate plant while ensuring the regeneration of the forest and its sacred value."
"Yerba Madre isn't just a new name. It's a loud declaration of our longstanding purpose," said Ben Mand, Chief Executive Officer of Yerba Madre. "We are honoring the stewards of yerba mate, both people and the land, as we build a regenerative future together.
The first product to debut under the Yerba Madre name will be Regenerative Organic Certified® Traditional Air Dried Yerba Mate Loose Leaf, the first-ever yerba mate to earn Regenerative Organic Certified® Gold status. This release sets a new global standard for how a beverage brand can serve people, planet, and future generations. Cans and bottles will begin transitioning to the Yerba Madre name later this summer, with Canadian packaging following in December.
Yerba Madre also builds on what fans know and love about the brand, which is often referred to simply as "yerba" or "the one in the yellow can." The iconic yellow can is here to stay, updated with original design elements as a nod to its roots and a bold step into its future.
"We're not changing who we are—we're naming it," said Emily Kortlang, Chief Marketing Officer. "Our community already knows us as yerba. Yerba Madre makes that identity unmistakable and fuels the future we're building together: rooted in heritage, community, and regeneration."
The company was among the founding B Corps in 2007, the first to offer fair trade certified yerba mate under the Fair for Life standard in 2009, and first to source Regenerative Organic Certified® yerba mate and sugar cane in 2022. Yerba Madre is now one of the first Purpose Pledge pilot companies uniting mission-driven companies to collaboratively define, benchmark, and advance a new standard for ethical business from farm to shelf.
Yerba Madre remains the leader in ready-to-drink yerba mate with an 85% market share in North America with products available at more than 45,000 retail locations across the U.S. and Canada.
For more on the Yerba Madre brand, visit www.YerbaMadre.com, and to explore our 2024 Impact Highlights click here.
About Yerba Madre
Yerba Madre—formerly Guayakí Yerba Mate—is the nearly 30-year pioneer of regenerative yerba mate [yer-bah ma-tay] and the category leader in ready-to-drink mate beverages across North America. The name Yerba Madre, meaning "Mother Herb," is a tribute to Mother Earth and the ancestral wisdom of the Indigenous communities who have cultivated yerba mate for generations —a reflection of the values the brand has championed since day one.
Headquartered in Sebastopol and Venice, California, Yerba Madre sources organic, shade-grown yerba mate in direct partnership with 255 family farmers and Indigenous communities across Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Using its Market Driven Regeneration™ model, every purchase helps reforest the Atlantic Forest, support fair trade premiums, and build long-term economic resilience for grower communities.
In 2025, the brand became the world's first yerba mate to achieve Regenerative Organic Certified™ Gold® status——setting a new global standard for ecological integrity, cultural respect, and environmental restoration.
As an original founding member of the B Corp community and a founding member of the Purpose Pledge, Yerba Madre is committed to ethical business practices across ten key pillars, including climate positivity, living wages, circularity, and inclusion. Yerba Madre is available in over 45,000 retail locations across the U.S. and Canada. To learn more, visit www.YerbaMadre.com.
SOURCE Yerba Madre
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