Guayaki Sparkling Yerba Mate

In this video from BevNET Live Summer, Yerba Madre CEO Ben Mand spoke about his leadership strategy and why every business requires a different approach.

In its first major marketing announcement since rebranding from Guayakí to Yerba Madre, the California-based brand is tripling down on sports partnerships, via three new soccer-related initiatives.

At BevNET Live Summer Day 1, entrepreneurs and stakeholders tackled leadership amid transformation, what CPG investors are looking for in brands and the current state of hemp-derived THC drinks, among many other topics.

Guayakí this morning debuted a full rebrand under a new name: Yerba Madre. According to the company, the name – which means “Mother Herb” – is intended to be both easier for consumers to remember and more representative of its diverse set of suppliers and partners across South America.

Canadian brand 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 in the yerba mate category.

Our reporters recap the latest news from Natural Products Expo West 2025, including a yerba mate renaissance, a shift in strategy from Unity Wellness, plus news from Melting Forest and Eclipse Foods.

Inter Miami’s fast-growing family of beverage partners includes Splendor, Flow, Celsius, 100 Coconuts, Ketel One and now Más+ by Messi.

Guayakí Yerba Mate is once again embracing DSD distribution, announcing this week that it has completed a transition from self-distribution to “a predominantly third-party distribution model” that includes national coverage through Anheuser-Busch InBev houses.

Yerba mate company Guayaki has raised $75 million in a funding round, according to a January 13 SEC filing by the company. The filing reflects over half of the company’s $142.8 million offering amount in the equity fundraise, with $67.8 million remaining to be sold.

When Guayaki launched in 1996, it sought to educate mainstream consumers about the clean and natural benefits of plant-based energy with its line of yerba mate drinks. Now, 25 years later, they may be catching on. In recent months, the yerba mate category has seen an influx of attention and innovation from startups and strategics alike.

As outlined by co-founder David Karr, Guayaki eventual goal is complete self-distribution, to which the brand is over halfway there with approximately 10,000 accounts — or, “all of California and basically most of the U.S., outside of natural [retailers],” — serviced by a fleet of over 300 electric cars.

Guayaki co-founder David Karr emphasized that new investment from Sonoma Brands will allow the company to continue operating independently while supporting and enhancing the brand’s longstanding mission.

Although its co-founder said that Guayaki isn’t one of those brands trying to get into Target, with the launch of its new sparkling drink line, the yerba mate company may end up there anyway. Aiming to elicit greater trial and exposure of yerba mate among mainstream consumers Guayaki recently launched a line of sparkling yerba mate products in May. David Karr, the co-founder and vice president of marketing for Guayaki, said the line is the company’s “most successful product launch ever.”

New Line in Rexam 12 oz. SLEEK® Cans Brings Unique Energizing Ingredient to a Broader Range of Consumers CHICAGO, May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Yerba Mate, the caffeine alternative with the “strength of coffee, the health benefits of tea and the euphoria of chocolate” is now available in a sparkling beverage. Guayaki Sparkling Yerba Mate […]