With the legalisation of the Barbaqua of the Family Gehm, we have entered a new era in the art of craft mate production in Brazil where a precedent has now been set to honour this heritage.
Although a picture can portray a thousand words and words can tell a beautiful story it is hard to capture the emotions of an event when you are witnessing history in the making. (Meeting of Mates, Fabricio of Meta Mate with Sergio of Barao and Salete and Vilsom Gehm, all mate makers of different degrees)
As the rain poured down creating clay from the red earth in one of the oldest mate capitals of the region, friends gathered on the property of the Family Gehm, to honor a momentous occasion for this family who have been producing mate continuously for the past 123 years.
Many were on the verge of tears as the opening speeches were made and thanks were given for the support received from those present physically and in spirit for the ancestors and the trees who made it possible for this tradition of mate making to continue
The handwork from Ticiano and Tiago Gehm were praised highly form all for their finesse in all aspects from constructing the new infrastructure to the way they cut the trees and last but not least for the mate that they made.
Thank you to the forest and to all of those who made this mate mission possible.