Drinking mate is one of the most deeply rooted ancestral traditions in the Southern Cone of America. Inherited from the original peoples of Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and southern Brazil – mainly the Guarani – mate is more than an infusion of leaves of Ilex paraguariensis. The inhabitants of these countries consider it a ritual, an occasion to share with loved ones, a company in moments of loneliness and a connection with Mother Earth for those who live abroad.
Although it is drunk in very different ways in each country and region, mate is a symbol of national identity for many South Americans, such as Uruguayans, Paraguayans, Argentines, and gaucho, as the southern Brazilians are known.
On November 30, Argentina celebrated the DNational Day of Mate. That is why we ask ourselves, which countries dominate the global marketing of yerba mate? As shown in the Statista graph made with the data from UN Comtrade, Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of mate, with almost 50 million kilograms exported worth more than US $ 87 million in 2020. Argentina follows closely in export value, with more than US $ 85 million.
Third on the list is Paraguay, which exports approximately half by weight of what Argentina exports. In addition, the ranking of the main mate exporters includes two European countries, Germany and the Netherlands, which import mate mainly from Brazil for domestic consumption and to resell to other European countries.
Regarding imports, Uruguay is the one that buys the most from foreign markets, particularly to Brazil, from where 99.9% of Uruguayan yerba mate imports come from. Despite being the country with the largest area planted with yerba mate Worldwide, the demand of the Argentine domestic market is such that the country also imports a large quantity, approximately 31 million kilograms, just under the 32 million kilograms imported by Uruguay.
