By Will Magid

There are many Yerba Mate companies to choose from, so why do I drink Guayaki?

I was first introduced to Guyakaki Yerba Mate at the artist hospitality section at the UCLA Jazz Reggae Festival. I was absolutely depleted from hours in the sun and desperately in need of a pick me up. I had never heard of Guayaki but had tried Mate’ and figured this could do the trick. I woke up quick—however it wasn’t the Mate that did it.

Passionate employees

It was rather the enthusiasm of a man named Don Miguel. Miguel is the Guayaki resident yerbe mate evangelist  and  the face of the drink at festivals around the world. He’s also one of the founders of Guakayi.  He eagerly told me not only which flavors I might like but also about the consumer driven reforestation program at Guayaki .

Consumer driven reforestation

It’s really a pretty simple process. Farmers in the Amazon of Paraguay often sell their land to tobacco farmers or lumber mills — the result is trees being cut down. Unlike tobacco, Mate Grows best under a canopy of trees, therefore when Mate sells, trees stay.

Flavors

Not too long ago my family and I were given a tour of the Guayaki headquarters . One of the most fascinating parts was seeing the “labs.” The guy that works in there is like the Willy Wonka of Mate flavors. They don’t carry Shnozberry but, The Pure Passion really tastes pure and excites your mind, the empowermint gives you energy and tastes like mint.. he list goes on.

Commitment

Let me tell you a quick story. A few years back Pepsi wanted to invest in a healthy alternative energy beverage, they gave a generous bid to Guayaki. Guayaki turned them down. Instead Honest Tea grabbed the bid and over night Honest Tea was available everywhere. The fact is, Pepsi might not mess with Honest Teas internal practices, but at the tip of a dime they could, and that’s not a chance the folk at Guayakai were willing to take.

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