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.
Berlin is celebrating 35 years since the fall of the wall this weekend, and the Mauerpark will commemorate its 30th birthday on 9/11. Our wishes to throw a wild party were dampered by the Berlin Bureaucrats who recently informed us that we did not have the necessary permissions to blow big bubbles and celebrate freedom with chaos and colors. There are plans for a symbolic self-organised-session to drink a mate at the Amphitheater at 3pm and share a moment together and an invitation to join us at sunset with Friends of the Mauerpark for the opening of a photo exhibition.
An exhibition of photos by Rolf Zöllner illustrates an unparalleled transformation of a place where the Wall once stood. Drop in to the vernissage from 4.00 pm on 9 November and find out more about the evolution of this extraordinary place and learn about how we can safeguard the spirit of this sacred grove and protect it from becoming a park for profit and politics instead of for the people
The official opening of the MauerPark from the Photo ExhibitionBubbles always had the freedom to fly over borders spreading colors and joy
30 years of Mauerpark – from darkness to light
The Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989. Five years later, on 9 November 1994, the first part of Mauerpark was opened. The no-man’s land where the Wall fortifications had once been – Germans called it more accurately the ‘death strip’ – was now every (wo)man’s park. The Friends of Mauerpark (Freunde des Mauerparks e.V.) invite you to come and celebrate the transformation with us.
The historic events of November 1989 are being commemorated at numerous celebrations in Berlin. The invitation to join in includes a call to ‘Uphold freedom’. Maintaining historical awareness is vital and linking commemoration of the past with a call to action in the present is what makes an act of commemoration meaningful. And that is exactly why Mauerpark is such an important place in the city: it commemorates the fall of the Wall every single day. Berlin suffers no shortage of symbols reminding us that it was once a divided city – Checkpoint Charlie or the Brandenburg Gate spring to mind. But they are now just Disneyfied versions of their former selves; Mauerpark is a living memorial. The Wall, which for 28 years divided not just Berlin but the entire world into East and West, has gone. In its place is Mauerpark where people from all over the world come together. It is not only an open space but a cultural space in which the values the East German people fought for back then are actually put into practice: freedom, participation and the right to think differently, to live differently, to simply be different. The Friends of Mauerpark work tirelessly to preserve this heritage of the peaceful revolution.
Rolf Zöllner has followed the development of Mauerpark from the very beginning. The photographer has lived near the ‘death strip,’ which morphed into Mauerpark, since 1989 and has documented it from its earliest days when local people started to plant trees and call on the authorities to turn it into a park. His photos show Mauerpark and its people in all their facets – quiet, romantic, challenging, protesting, celebrating, with others or alone. His photos testify to his authentic interest not only in artistic motifs, but in people. That’s why he knows the stories behind the images.
In the past decades the popularity of Mate in the Northern hemisphere has increased primarily for its functionality of providing energy. In Germany this is particularly evident in the soft drink industry. Post-Pandemic people have moved away from taking the time to share a „meta-moment“ over a large mate together and with all of the digitalised distractions in our modern world, rituals remain rare. We recently had the pleasure to sit down and share a mate with fellow-matero David Askaripour (Circle of Drink) and speak about the meta-mate-mission….
Mate isn’t merely a drink, or a ‚tea,‘ as it’s often labeled, but an experience; a lifestyle, a way of communicating not only with yourself, but other mate drinkers – the satellite herb connecting and receiving – broadcasting friendship with every sip. Mate is a manifestation – a herbal conductor of openness and friendship – that has appeared on Earth, here with us, instructing in myriad ways. Naturally showing us how to press pause on hectic society life, and press play on connecting with our fellow brothers and sisters.
– David Askaripour „Mateology: the drink beyond a drink“
Although we all have a slightly different approach, most materos have the same goal in sight. Starting his mate journey almost two decades ago, Dave Mate has created a new generation of Materos in the US and beyond with Circle of Drink
While Guayaki was one of the pioneers over 20 years ago with spreading sustainably sourced mate in the North American market, in the past years they have strayed away from the origin and are mostly concocting energetic cocktails that are anything but bitter. It’s better than a Coke, but those looking for cultural traditions might want to „Join the Circle“.
Our world is becoming increasingly politically polarised with the rise of war-driven leaders. Imagine a society where it were it were a norm for people to sit down together and discuss important issues over a Mate. The connectivity created through the mere act of sitting in a circle combined with the positive spirit that this healing herb carries can help in finding constructive solutions.
Imagine if Lewis Carol had known mate, the Mad Hatter and wonderland would have had another dimension..
In these dark days following the elections, one can only send Metta and wishes for a beacon of light at the end of the traumatic tunnel that our Star-Spangled-Mates will have to endure. And we can raise our gourds in hope and sit to mate in peace with compassion for the planet. It is a great time to reflect on the motto….Make Mate Not War
A Mate for Freedom and LibertyA Mate for Peace: Make Mate Not War
Please note, our shop in Berlin will be closed from 30 Oct – 6 Nov.
SAVE THE DATE – MauerParkMate 9/11
It’s 35 years since the wall that once divided this city was demolished and we would like to come together with friends in one of our favourite parks in the city to drink a Mate.
Bring your cups, straws, and hot water and we will provide you with the rest and let us meet and mate…
In conclusion to Amazon Week at the Brazilian Embassy, we will reflect on the fate of the Atlantic Forests, the struggles of its inhabitants and the almost extinct tradition of autonomous mate making.
4pm – Mate Circle with the new harvest
5pm – Summary from Amazon Week in Berlin
6pm – Talks about Guarani-Gaucho Culture
7pm – Carijo Film (Portuguese w/ English captions)
Meta Mate Green Wash 2024
While most of the harvest from this season was washed out by climate conditions, there were additional causes created by our capitalistic civilisation
What started off as a joke went a bit too far and we ended up creating a new campaign for our craft mate harvest.
Perhaps, as passionate materos, we want to provide you with the opportunity to infuse yourself in Mate so deeply so that it is flowing in and out of your pores (literally).
In fact, we want to call your attention to the precarious situation of our Mate farmers and to give value to the limited resources with this year’s harvest that will come in single-serving packages (for those who are used to big gaucho chimmarao).
The Family Gehm has not harvested this season but we are delighted that they have given their know-how further and we are pleased to be able to bring another family-produced barbacua mate to you later this month.
Recently we were reflecting on the term „bio economy“ and the fair and sustainable practice of purchasing exotic and esoteric products in the spirit of self-care and saving the planet.
We are well aware that by making claims such as „full moon harvest“ and „renewable forest energy“ that we are on paar with pioneer Deutsche / Demeter brands.
Most importantly, however, we let our mates speak for themselves and let our materos spread the word. We remain committed towards the origins and see beyond hipster trends.
Upcoming Mate Circles : 8 June Karneval de Kultur ZukunftsRaum. 15 June Quellen des Lebens. Oderberg. Berlin Shop will be closed on these days . Ausblenden
