“What the heck is Yerba Mate?”

These are the words that Sam and I said when our good friend Alex called us up one day to join him for what he said was a, “Mate sesh.” Without knowing what “Yerba Mate” was, or what a “Mate sesh” entailed, we decided to trust our friend and go. We proceeded to climb a ladder fastened to the side of Alex’s house and tasted Yerba Mate for the first time. The earthy undertone was masked by the lemon juice we used to pour into the gourd. We didn’t know it at the time, but this was a very unusual way of drinking Yerba; something about the taste woke us up immediately.

At the time, Sam, Alex and I were training gymnastics in Southern California. Like many, we grew up watching the Olympics and when we closed our eyes we saw ourselves competing there. Gymnastics was life for us, and we were always searching for ways to enhance our training. When we first tried Yerba Mate, Redbull was just starting to make a name for itself in the athletic community, but we never thought it was tested by gymnasts, because any real athlete knows that carbonation and athletics don’t mix well.

Drinking Yerba Mate to Awaken the Vibe

As time went on, the three of us began to brew Yerba Mate at home, which was quite the experience. Not only did it give us time to bond and become best of friends, but we also began playing around with different flavors and formulation changes. Over the years that followed, we learned more and more about the culture and traditions of the “magical tea;” the balance of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals with the naturally occurring caffeine allowed for an almost immediate feeling of “awakening.”

After our co-founder, Samuel Mikulak, made the 2012 USA Olympic team, we had an influx of people asking us to reveal the secrets of Yerba Mate. We had already been brewing the drink for our entire gymnastics team at the University of Michigan, but this was an opportunity to do something much bigger and more impactful. In order to build popularity for this “secret tea,” we knew that our best chance was to start a Yerba Mate beverage company and see where it would take us.

The Future of MatéBros Yerba Mate

So, what now? From the beginning, we have always been focused on creating the healthiest energy drink on the market. Little does “the market” know that it is actually tea! Currently, we have an organic product in the works, which will take the sugar content of our drink down from 7g to 5g per can. It will also lower calorie and carbohydrate count, as well as increase the flavor palate of the drink.

Our goals are twofold: to grow the likeness of Yerba Mate and eliminate unhealthy energy drinks. We were fortunate enough to have parents who instilled healthy eating habits in us and paved the way for this future. We hope to educate people on what is and is not healthy by continually bettering our product and exposing more of the world to Yerba Mate.

To learn more about our company, as well as taste some of our delicious organic product, head to MatéBros.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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