Yerba maté has beverage trend winds at its back, riding soaring consumer interest in energy, sustainability and natural wellness. But can it survive with no sugar?
That’s the question being asked by upstart Canadian brand Mateína as it seeks to challenge Guayakí’s dominance of the ready-to-drink yerba maté category. This week, Montreal-based Mateína is rolling out a complete revamp of its 12 oz. ready-to-drink line launched last year that drops all sugar, a move founder/CEO Nicolas Beaupré believes can create true separation from a shelf that also includes names like Yerbaé, Yachak, CLEAN Cause and, most recently, Daytrip.
“We might expect a little bit of pushback (by removing sugar), but, for the future, we think it’s the best possible move that we could do,” said Beaupré. “I think since day one, the main kind of differentiation point was being low sugar, but now being able to be completely zero, it’s a big advantage.”
It’s a quick pivot early into the product’s life; Mateína’s 12 oz. canned line debuted last year in three non-carbonated SKUs with eight grams of sugar each, plus a single zero-sugar flavor (Lemon Zero) developed alongside co-owner/spokesperson and influential health podcaster Dr. Andrew Huberman. Within months of the drinks entering Los Angeles-area stores like Erewhon and SunLife Organics, that flavor represented 60% of all U.S. revenue, giving Beaupré the confidence to revamp the entire line. Mateína’s to-go powder sticks, released late last year, helped prove out the new recipe, which drops the calories from 45 to 20 per 12 oz. slim can.
The new lineup, available for nationwide shipping on Mateína’s website starting this week, is anchored by Lemon Zero (now Lemon Original), plus four new flavors: Mango Key Lime, Raspberry Yuzu, Peach Passion and Mint Limeade, all sweetened with a combination of stevia and juice.
Zero-sugar continues to be a powerful callout to beverage consumers, but it hasn’t hindered Guayakí’s ability to grow the RTD yerba maté shelf over decades; the California-based brand markets SKUs ranging from 2 grams (juice) to 27 grams (cane sugar) per 15.5 oz. can. For the 52 weeks ended March 21, 2025, Guayakí grew dollar sales over 23% ($211 million) in total MULO w/ C-store, according to data from Circana. Yet zero-sugar is not totally unique to the category, as canned brands Yerbae and CLEAN Cause each have stevia-sweetened sparkling brews.
Mateína’s zero-sugar brews will “bring a little more excitement, more options in the space,” said Beaupré, along with “more clarity”; on that note, the cans are more clearly marked as “Yerba maté,” similar to Guayakí’s recent makeover.
But the products also arrive at a critical point in the company’s development. With already a deep reputation and a nationwide presence in around 2,500 doors north of the border, Mateína’s U.S. RTD business, run by a team operating out of Southern California, is the immediate priority despite the specter of punitive tariffs issued by the Trump Administration. Production was projected to move to the U.S. by 2026, but that timetable has now been accelerated, Beaupré said.
In distribution, Guayakí’s pivot to Anheuser-Busch may open new paths for expansion. That potential will be tested this October, when Mateína’s zero-sugar drinks debut in brick-and-mortar retail with a major natural chain this October for a three-month exclusive.
“[Guayakí] wants to grow more [in conventional], and that kind of leaves a place for the more niche, health-conscious consumers in those natural accounts,” Beaupré said. “So that is kind of good timing for us, and a perfect evolution for the category.”