Systems are disintegrating across the planet. As we lose our traditions and melt into a globalised world we are constantly being sold the latest super solution to solve all of our problems.
Today the environment we live in is far more loaded with toxins and chemicals than in the past. This combined with the accelerated lifestyles that we lead, is a direct cause in the increased rates of burnouts and diseases that are affected our society.
This toxic overload limits our quality of life, downgrades our health and the current plethora of health epidemics is a testament to the consequences of modern life gone awry.
There are simple rituals that we can integrate into our regular routines to help us dive deep into an internal process that initiates profound healing throughout the entire body & soul.
Drinking mate on a daily basis might just be a placebo to make you sit down for a moment and drink lots of warm water…..over the centruries it has stood the test of time….
Water is Life. Water is essential for Life and it is important to drink it in abundance to stay hydrated. Drinking lots of water helps your kidneys and liver to eliminate toxins
Detoxing with Mate gives you
More Energy and Vitality. Less Stress. Weightloss. Improved circulation. . Stronger Digestion & Less unhealthy food cravings. Mental clarity and heightened alertness. Boosts your immunity and provides you with an inner calmness
Enhance your experience by
Moving your Body…..Soaking in Sun….Laugh Play Sing Be Wild and Free-spirited….Rest Relax Meditate…….And don’t forget to Breathe…..
In this modern individualistic society scarred by social distancing, Mate drinking can facilitate a communal setting rooted in the commons. The ritual of sitting in a circle can facilitate group resonance and enable deep exchange. The caffeine and theobromine content in the mate encourages communication.
Most of us are familiar with the usage of substances to help us function and turn off from the daily drone of life. Sugar is one of the most common legal drugs infused into almost all processed meals. Despite numerous studies demonstrating the dangers, we continue to fill our stomach with processed foods laced with poisons and pesticides.
Some turn to alcohol as a way of numbing their frustrations or pain, whether the social “Feierabend bierchen” that was normalised in Germany, or the artist drawing creative inspiration from a bottle of wine. While the pharmaceutical industry reaps in profits for the remedies that doctors prescribe, recreational drugs are celebrated by the free-spirited party culture, and others search for stronger substances to escape reality.
Energy is a necessary part of life, required to sustain and it flows through all societies. There are many forms of energy. Good energy, bad energy, energy drinks, caffeine. Coffee is something that is consumed across the world as a form of energy while others soothe their souls with a cup of tea. Some people prefer cola or energy drinks. Sustainable energy this is something that the activists and politicians like to talk a lot about. Everything these days should be green i.e. greenwashing.
A long time ago people used to live in the forests somewhat in harmony with nature. Perhaps not as peacefully as we romanticize but there was magic, and people interacted with all life in their environments. There was no need to go to a supermarket to buy anything, there was no concept of working for money to have free time.
Time was measured in another way back then. Perhaps more in rhythm with the natural daylight patterns – electricity was something fully unknown – today we are unable to live without it. Back then there were rituals to pass the time, to connect, to sustain and nourish. Many of these ancient rituals, have been obliterated over the centuries and we will never know of them; there are so many secrets of the past that have been forgotten
But some of these rituals survived. Such as the ceremonial sharing of drinking mate in a circle According to legends, the forest spirits provided a enriching bitter brew to provide strength and endurance to the people. The fresh forest energy contained in Mate is has been incorporated in our modern society by athletes and priests who praise this compassionate communitarian drink.
You are never alone with a Good Mate. Gen Z is feeling the pressure of this artificial world, it is eroding their soul. Instead of slowing our pace, stilling our spirit and connecting on a human personal level, performance enhancement is considered a key factor to success. We are missing the process of our creativity and younger generations are losing the resilience to tolerate pain.
We invite you to sit down and mate and reflect on some of these themes and more importantly to listen to our inner voices and understand what our roles in this world are.
A decade ago when we were confronted with situations of sharing Mate outdoors in the cold German winters we took on the task of finding a reliable partner to serve the water.
In South Brasil, Termolar has been catering to the Mate Market for many decades with their innovative easy-to-serve spouts that allow Uruguayan’s to drink and drive.
This woman-run family-owned company has perfected the art of manufacturing thermoses that hold the water temperature hot for hours so that a mate circle could be enjoyed outdoors in European Winters.
Long before Messi became a Mascot for Stanley sipping out of a Baby-Blue-Bottle, South Americans were sitting around the fireplace sharing a gourd and serving Mate from a Kettle. The innovation of the Thermos made it possible for Mate to become mobile and adapt into an ecological & economic to-go beverage for groups to enjoy by sunsets in parks.
Drinking Mate can be compared to a F**tball Team….all members need to be in top form to ensure excellent performance. It does not help if you have an excellent quality of handmade leaves harvested by full moon and fine filtration inox bombas with premium mouthpieces if your water is cold.
Fair Trust : we recently had a webinar with Termolar to learn more about their production.
In recent years the market has been flooded with cheaper imitations from China and it was important for us to learn more about the differences.
The Trend: Corporate Cultural Appropriation.
Some years ago Stanley launched a stylish Mate Set popularising stainless steel Mate Cups that can be screwed on for compact transportation.
What they failed to realise is that the Metal Mates retain temperature for longer than necessary and this does affect the flavor. Indigenous philosophies go as far as to say that metal removes the healing properties from the leaves.
One of the benefits to transporting the Termolar Flask is that the sturdy handle allows it to be hooked onto bellts and bags so that your hands are free to hold the mate.
In an effort to promote the product we do offer special discounts for students and those on a budget. And while we realise that the Termolars are priced higher than many Thermoses, they are still a quarter of the price of the competition.
During the Mate Congress held in Berlin in March 2025 it was unanimously agreed that the indigenous narrative is often left out of the Mate Industry, especially in its land of origin. In an effort to counterbalance this and pay homage to the Guarani origins of Ka´a Meta Mate initiated a reforestation project bringing saplings from Machadinho Moonshine Mate producers to a community in Pico do Jaragua
Thanks to the Escola de Cuidado for overseeing this project and Fabi Loyola for the video documentation, Fabricio do Canto for his persistence & Marcio from the Mba Guarani Community for caring for the culture and Kaá
On Sunday we will be hosting a Mate Circle at the Zukunfts(T)Raum from 12-3pm. This is an open call out for Materos to join, bring your cups and thermoses with to facilitate the sharing, we will have mate. 🌿
The Zukunfts(T)Raum – futuredream + futurespace – is a brand-new area within Berlin’s Carnival of Cultures carried forward by a growing community of dreamers and doers.
This space is our collective response to a world in flux – a public living room where people can slow down, connect deeply, and build bridges across generations, backgrounds, and perspectives.
It’s a place for civic imagination, cultural resistance, and gentle transformation.
We’re here for futures where humanity and the planet can thrive together.
For centuries the Atlantic Forest was treated as an inexhaustible commodity well and forcibly integrated into the global economy as a peripheral supplier of raw materials.
The colonial mindset endures, merely modernised: extractive industries still erase forests peoples and devalue local knowledge. Commodities like Mate leave the Mata Atlantic bearing international labels – stripped of territorial identity and divorced from the ancestral practices that sustain them.
(Instituto Aupaba)
This extractive logic benefits few and jeopardises many. It concentrates wealth, creates deep inequalities, and weakens local economies that remain on the margins of the global value chains. .
Mate is consumed in the creative circles of the global north in a bubbly bottled form without paying tribute to its origins.
It is our mission to continue to offer people a chance to come into contact with the drink of the commons in as much of a non-commercial way as possible in the capitalistic system.
This is why we offer DIY Mate making stations at events such as Karneval or Republica.
Wir müssen es ausbaden……A play on words with a gift of green washing.
But jokes aside, we are paying the price for a capitalistic commercial system that makes it very difficult for small independent producers to sustain themselves from their Craft.
The Meta Mate Bath Salt is an homage to the Family Gehm as well as to our Berliner „Krauter Hexe“ Verzaubereien with whom we developed a range of Mate Cosmetics in 2012.
Unfotunately these products will no longer be part of our range.
Economic, Environmental & Social Strategies for the European and South American Mate Sector.
Encontro para elaborar a importância da erva-mate nos setores ambiental, econômico e social da Alemanha e do Brasil
Wirtschaftliche, ökologische und soziale Strategien für den europäischen und südamerikanischen Mate-Sektor.
Friday, 7 March 2025. 1-4pm Brazilian Embassy Berlin
Report & Results of the Meeting
List of Guests: Ahmad & Majd Mahlla ( Go O Mate ), Jared Herbing (CaaMate), Daniel Weber (Muy Mate), Moritz König (Mates & Mate), Fabricio & Raiz do Canto (Meta Mate) Ludger Walterbusch (Flora Power), Ulrich Sluka (No. 1 Lemon Mate), Pavel & Olga Vakhitov (Mate Planet), Gabriela Lucila Peckaitis, Klas Lündstrom,
Sarah & Christian Kernchen, Friedrich Steep (Voelkel), Krithika do Canto (moderation)
Vamos Matear
Arrival & Traditional Mate Preparation
Welcome from Eduardo Frighetto – Commercial Attache, Brasilian Embassy
The primary mission of the meeting was to come together as a Mate Sector,‘ speak about the challenges faced and explore channels of cooperation. Although the Mate segment in Germany is growing, it is still a niche product, according to official statistics it makes up only 0,4% of “Tee Trinken” in Germany and does not appear on the list of popular soft drinks of the 124,5L consumed per person in 2023.
The play on words of Der / Die / Das Mate was to show how mate can fit into various categories (as a tea or a limo), similarly, it can be viewed from a commercial, cultural or environmental lens.
There was a unanimous agreement that Mate could benefit from being its own category instead of being diluted in others.
Der Mate Tee:
Health & Harmony: Integration of a daily drinking ritual of herbs – Sarah Kernchen, who is afflicted by Multiple Sclerosis and Type 2 Diabetes shared her experiences of reducing her medication and combating fatigue by drinking mate on a daily basis for the past 5 years.
Although various South American Studies exist highlighting the health benefits of Mate, these are not officially recognised in the EU. Jared from CaaMate pointed out that one is officially allowed to advertise the caffeine content in Mate and then speak of the effects of caffeine, and their company has received warnings for speaking of anti-oxidants, vitamin and mineral content.
It would be very helpful if a bilateral intellectual recognition could be made to enable Mate companies in Europe to use material highlighting the health benefits of Mate.
Development of German Mate Market & Intercultural Inclusion:
It was noted that in the past decade Mate means more than just a Brause in the German context, due to the immigration of South American but especially Syrian ex-pats who have the strong culture of drinking mate on a daily basis.
Ahmad & Majd Mahlla from Go o Mate explained the historic and cultural connection and pointed out that there is a growing appreciation for finer qualities of mate as opposed to the traditional brands that are packed in Syria. However, there is a huge price barrier that is not so easy to overcome as it is possible to purchase 200g of Mate for 2€ in middle-eastern grocery shops. Go O Mate is dedicated to using social media to explain the finer aspects of Mate culture in Arabic and has cooperations with online mate resellers to promote organic varieties as well.
Eastern Influences / Trends and Cultures:
Poland is an established mate market in East Europe. While no representatives could join us for this event, Pavel from Mate Planet in CZ confirmed that the market in general is growing and that the Pope and Messi were good ambassadors. While Mate Planet cares more for B2B he notices greater demand during the televising of sports events (like the Olympics or Football)
Sports figures or finding a close-knit group in which to promote mate could be a possible strategy, especially if many join forces & resources to target a particular group. Daniel from MuyMate shared the idea of promoting mate amongst climbers or in bouldering halls as a recommendation that he received from a marketing agency. Raiz from Meta Mate resonated with the idea and Ulrich from No. 1 Mate mentioned that his drink had once been successfully promoted in a bouldering hall in Berlin.
Das Mate Blatt:
Supporting small decentral production & Sourcing Wild:
Fabricio from Meta Mate and Swedish journalist Klas Lündstrom shared their experiences from visiting mate producers in Brasil, Argentina and Paraguay. The models in the three countries vary but there are shared stories of exploitation of workers and environmental damage. It is worthy to note that traces of glyphosate have been found in protected Mate Forests in Parana.
Cultural Reappropriation:
The indigenous narrative is often left out of the Mate industry. Guarani activist Gabriela shared her perspective on the consumption of Mate without integrating the tradition and mentioned the marginalisation of the tribes. A short discussion emerged regarding Gaucho / Guarani culture which demonstrated that this is still a touchy topic with many not knowing how to incorporate the origins without being accused of using a culture for promotional purposes.
There was also an exchange about the manner in which mate is being marketed in an individualistic way as opposed to a ceremonial circle. Go O Mate pointed out that Syrian culture tends not to share and also noted that the bombilla is an interesting product to promote. It was generally agreed upon that sharing should not be a primary motive (also in economic terms, one sells more Mate sets)
Die Mate Limo:
Screening of Voelkel Mate Film that exemplifies how a Mate Limo can help to promote & preserve the forests.
Berlin’s Beliebteste Brause: The Mate branch experienced a rapid growth of Mate Limos up until 2020. Flora Power was one of the pioneers and continues to carve out its market niche as the “best Mate from Hamburg”. Ludger from Flora Power pointed out in response to a question regarding healthier / sugar-free beverages that the market demand is not large enough. He suggested that Mate could promote the message of Friendship & Peace and would benefit from having its own category.
Concluding Circle:
All participants agreed that it was helpful to get together to have this opportunity to exchange in depth. There is a need to discuss these topics further and all welcomed the idea of similar symposiums in the future including the proposal of an International Mate Congress with guests from South America.
It is important to note that the members all have different motivations; some work with Mate on the side and others are full-time invested and depend on the income.
Anthraquinone and other issues:
It was also noted that current EU Laws make the market restriction on Mate quite problematic. Pavel from Mate Planet brought up the topic of Anthraquinone limits in the Mate and asked if these could be investigated on a diplomatic level.
We shared these concerns with the Agricultural Atachee of the Embassy and have agreed to summarize the situation in written form for further investigation.
Fabricio from Meta Mate mentioned that in the past Diplomatic efforts succeeded in getting Mate on the list of products that could be certified organic within the EU as well as doubling the anthraquinone limits and agreed that perhaps further studies could alleviate the situation. He further elaborated on the possibility of doing an Delphi Study with Brasilian Institutions to evaluate the Mate Market in Europe.
Comparative Analysis of Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) and Green Tea (Camellia sinensis): Phytochemical Profiles, Pharmacological Effects, and Health Implications
by Jan Menne
Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg Fakultät VI Medizin und Gesundheitswissenschaften
To: Editorial Office. Newsletter of Meta Mate Berlin
I am pleased to submit the manuscript titled “Comparative Analysis of Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) and Green Tea (Camellia sinensis): Phytochemical Profiles, Pharmacological Effects, and Health Implications” for consideration as an original review article in your newsletter.
This manuscript presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of two culturally and pharmacologically significant plant-based beverages: yerba mate and green tea. It synthesizes current evidence on their phytochemical composition, mechanisms of action, clinical effects, microbiome interactions, cultural context, and safety profiles. Notably, it also critically evaluates the strength of clinical evidence using the GRADE framework and highlights key research gaps, including the need for large-scale randomized controlled trials, standardized preparation methods, and microbiome-focused studies.
Given the growing global interest in plant-derived functional beverages and their potential contributions to metabolic, cardiovascular, and neuroprotective health, I believe this article will be of strong interest to your readers, including nutrition scientists, pharmacologists, clinicians, public health professionals, and yerba mate enthusiasts.
I affirm that:
The work is original and has not been published or submitted elsewhere. There are no conflicts of interest to declare. No external funding was received for this work.
Thank you for considering this submission. I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to the Newsletter of Meta Mate Berlin.
And contrary to popular belief, we had quite a bit of luck just in time for the weekend thanks to a little help from our friends Dobre Ziele and Project Mate Solutions.
Visitors to our shop in Berlin will be relieved to see that we have a small selection of simple Calabasas and Bombas in stock again. We also received a limited supply of the Jan 2024 harvest of Moonshine Mate form the Family Gehm.
These products will only be available offline until the end of the year. We look forward to receiving Craft Mate from 2 new families towards the end of December.
Winter Opening Times
In order to accommodate visitors over the next weeks, we will remain open during some of the traditional German holidays.
Our opening hours are always updated online, and it is worthy to note, we will be open almost every day this month with the exception of 16 & 30 December.
This year marked 100 years since the initial patent on a Mate Brause recipe in Berlin. This city has seen many changes in the last century and especially in the past decades, the multiplication of mates on the market has been phenomenal.
Although we strongly advocate the traditional consumption of Mate, we are aware that in Berlin, the local bottled version of Mate is popular at end of the year parties. The Mate 2 Brause Box is available at our shop in Berlin in small and large sizes.
X-MATE DATES. Winter Opening Hours
Our Shop in Berlin will have extended opening hours in December to ensure that everyone is well stocked with Mate at the end of the year.
We will be offering tastings and workshops on weekends; walk-ins are welcome on Sundays at 3pm.
While we are still awaiting the arrival of a mini craft harvest do have some other creative mate recipes and blends in stock currently.
