# Yerba Madre

> Yerba Madre, the California beverage company known for Guayakí's yellow cans, sells ready-to-drink, sparkling, bottled, bagged and loose-leaf yerba mate while using demand to finance a regenerative, shade-grown supply chain in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. Its bet is that a caffeinated drink can compete with coffee and energy drinks while helping family farmers and Indigenous communities keep a native crop beneath the Atlantic Forest canopy.

- **Founded:** 1996
- **Headquarters:** Oakland and Los Angeles, United States
- **Founders:** Alex Pryor (Co-founder; sourcing and regeneration leader), David Karr (Co-founder), Michael Newton (Co-founder and early brand ambassador), Steven Karr (Co-founder and original brand designer), Chris Mann (Co-founder and former CEO)
- **Team size:** Approximately 410 employees in the supplied company dataset; public estimates have varied as the distribution organization changed.
- **Products:** Brewed yerba mate cans, Sparkling yerba mate, Bottled yerba mate, Traditional air-dried loose leaf, Individual mate bags
- **Notable:** Helped turn yerba mate from a little-known U.S. import into a national ready-to-drink category., Became one of the early Certified B Corporations and currently holds a published B Impact score of 110.3., Introduced Fair for Life certified yerba mate in 2009.

## Products & services

- **Brewed yerba mate cans** — Still, ready-to-drink organic yerba mate in full-sugar, lower-sugar and unsweetened varieties, including Enlighten Mint, Bluephoria, Revel Berry and Lemon Elation.
- **Sparkling yerba mate** — Carbonated organic yerba mate in fruit-forward flavors; the refreshed 2026 range contains 115 mg of naturally occurring caffeine per can.
- **Bottled yerba mate** — Cold, flavored brewed yerba mate in resealable bottles for ready-to-drink use.
- **Traditional air-dried loose leaf** — Shade-grown loose-leaf mate; relaunched under Yerba Madre as the first yerba mate loose leaf product to earn Regenerative Organic Certified Gold status.
- **Individual mate bags** — Single-serve yerba mate bags that translate the traditional infusion into a familiar tea-bag format.
- **2026 innovation range** — New and refreshed products include Unsweetened Original Yerba, Passionfruit Coconut, lower-sugar Enlighten Mint, Strawberry Kiwi, Cherry Sublime and seasonal Mango Fuego.

## Achievements

- Helped turn yerba mate from a little-known U.S. import into a national ready-to-drink category.
- Became one of the early Certified B Corporations and currently holds a published B Impact score of 110.3.
- Introduced Fair for Life certified yerba mate in 2009.
- Became the first brand to source Regenerative Organic Certified yerba mate and sugar cane in 2022.
- Launched the first yerba mate loose leaf product with Regenerative Organic Certified Gold status in 2025.
- Reached more than 45,000 retail locations across the United States and Canada.
- Reported 89% share of the North American mate category in 2026.
- Traditional Air-Dried Loose Leaf was named a 2026 NEXTY Award finalist.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Named soccer security figure Yassine Cheuko an official brand partner ahead of the 2026 international soccer tournament.
- **2026-03** — Became the official yerba mate drink of the Canadian Elite Basketball League under a partnership running through 2028.
- **2026-02** — Presented its broadest product slate to date, including refreshed sparkling drinks, low-sugar lines, convenience exclusives and an unsweetened ROC ready-to-drink can.
- **2026-02** — Reported more than 45,000 retail doors, 35% distribution growth and number-one natural tea status at Kroger.
- **2025-05** — Announced the company-wide change from Guayakí to Yerba Madre and began transitioning cans and bottles later that year.
- **2025-01** — Restructured distribution around national third-party DSD partners, dissolving most of its internal Yerba Mate Co. distribution unit.

## Links

- Website: https://yerbamadre.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/yerba-madre
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/guayaki
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drinkyerbamadre
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yerbamadre/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/guayaki/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialyerbamadre

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/yerba-madre
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-14