Can Yerba Maté Replace Coffee?

Yerba maté is a traditional beverage originating from South America. In Argentina and Uruguay yerba maté is certainly more popular than coffee, and in Paraguay, tereré (an iced yerba maté) has been declared the national drink. Yerba maté comes from this part of the world, so it is logical that it is popular here.

But could the drink spread to other continents, such as North America and Europe, and become just as popular as coffee?

Photo by Lautaro Andreani on Unsplash

How popular is yerba maté in the rest of the world?

In recent years there has been an increase in the popularity of yerba maté. Most people know the name yerba maté and it is relatively easy to buy single-use yerba maté tea bags. However, coffee is still the number one pick-me-up beverage in America and most of Europe, and tea remains the drink of choice in Asia and the Middle East. The level of yerba maté consumption in these regions doesn’t compare to that of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, where yerba maté is the rule, not the exception.

There are a few anomalies though. Poland, Syria and Lebanon have a relatively strong yerba maté culture, which can be credited to immigrants that left their respective countries for South America, then returned home with their new companion – yerba maté – in hand.

Can yerba maté become as popular as coffee?

According to Future Market Insights, the yerba maté market is expected to grow from 2.18 billion USD in 2023 to 3.8 billion USD in 2032. Yerba maté is expected to increase in popularity, not decrease.

It’s not a stretch to think that yerba maté could go from being enjoyed by few to being popular among many. In North America and Europe, there was a time before coffee was even known to exist. Its unlikely that anyone who lived in Europe before the 17th century would’ve guessed that in the future, people would start their mornings with a hot, bitter and earthy beverage called coffee. The same could go for maté.

In the United States there was a time when tea was more popular than coffee. According to the National Coffee Association, this all changed when the British imposed a heavy tax on tea, which led an uprising against the British known as the Boston Tea Party (https://www.ncausa.org/About-Coffee/History-of-Coffee). From this point on, coffee became the favourite drink of Americans. People’s preferences change all the time, so it’s not a radical thought that the current preference for coffee may change to something else in the future.

Importing Yerba Maté Culture

One of the things that makes yerba maté so great is the sharing tradition. What got me hooked was my experience of traveling in South America, sharing maté with new people and enjoying the relaxed social environment that drinking yerba maté promotes.

People might see yerba maté as ‘just another drink’, if they haven’t experienced the social connection that drinking yerba maté can offer, which makes it more than just a drink. Perhaps the Polish, Syrian and Lebanese immigrants who brought the drink back to their home countries also brought with them the social and ceremonial aspects of drinking maté, helping to spread the popularity of the drink.

Drinking maté alone is great too, but sharing the drink with others is better. Coffee is something that people drink every morning, not giving much thought of ‘sharing a coffee’ with someone. Maybe maté can’t replace coffee in this way. The widespread adoption of yerba maté is more likely if people can experience the positive feeling that can comes from enjoying maté with friends by the beach, and the type of conversations that come when passing maté around a circle.

It’s hard to say if yerba maté will become as popular as coffee in North America and in Europe, and of course there is no reason that it should. However, it is interesting to imagine a future where people walk the streets of London with a thermos and maté in their hands, as is commonplace in Uruguay.