More than 20 thousand people have already passed through the matear fairthe exhibition organized by the National Institute of Yerba Mate (INYM) that began on Friday and concluded this Sunday in the rural in what constituted the fourth edition of this event that brought together herbal establishments, cooperatives and entrepreneurs from the matero universe.
As reported by the organization to Télam, 20 thousand people visited the exhibition until the close of business on Saturday, which is why this figure was widely exceeded this Sunday.
“It is a great joy to have more than 130 exhibitorsespecially the small mills, family establishments, cooperatives and entrepreneurs who joined us in this call”, stressed the president of INYM, Juan José Szychowski, after the inaugural ribbon cutting.
In addition to yerba mate and accessories, visitors who come to the fair have different proposals at their disposal to spend an entertaining afternoon.
For example, the fair featured two large Patios Materos and a play space for the little ones called “mate kids”. For its part, the gastronomic sector offers various products to accompany the matera rounds.
“It is a very good initiative to show what this regional economy means, which is very important, not only economically, but also socially, culturally, and as an activity that generates rural roots,” highlighted the Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Nation, Juan José Bahillo, who accompanied the cutting of ribbons after making a tour of several stands.
For his part, the governor of Misiones, Oscar Herrera Ahuaddescribed Matear as “a very interesting scenario to install yerba mate, the customs linked to it; the social and economic aspects that it implies in the life of Argentines.”
“It is a fair -he added- that allows many small producers to show the type and quality of the yerba mate that is produced in Misiones,” he said.
For exhibitors, especially small establishments and entrepreneurs, their presence at the fair is a golden opportunity to publicize their products.
“The support of the INYM is very relevant because we are a small family business from Tres Capones, and it is very difficult for us to get to this type of fair. This helps us a lot,” he commented. Lucas Pawlukof yerba mate Sun and Rain.
For the Minister of Agriculture of Misiones, the diversity of herbs that can be found as the case of organic herbs stands out.
“INYM accompanies the efforts of the small missionary producer and we value that,” he said. Facundo Lopez Sartori.
The concept of yerba mate production linked to caring for the environment is increasingly valued by consumers and this is how many entrepreneurs understand it, such as the creators of Mathienzo. Originally from Río Negro, they bet on the added value of sustainability.
“We aim at new consumers who not only appreciate the quality of the product, but also for our purpose, which is the reforestation of native trees, since each package that is sold is connected to reforestation in our province and Argentine Patagonia”explained Nicolás Tiferes, to then show the different blends that combine yerba mate with spices and flower petals from Patagonia.
A similar path is followed by the producers of Araí yerba mate, a brand that proposes alternatives with natural aging for two and three years.
“People asked us when we were coming back and after two years, we got here again thanks to INYM,” concluded Yésica Spasiuk, from her stand at Matear 2022.
