Cheers, Maté.

Yerba Mate is the latest healthy indigenous drink to be mass-marketed by a U.S. business. But Guayaki–named for the Guayaki people of South America’s rainforests– isn’t just in it for the money. Preserving the native eco-system by organically shade-growing their mate in the rainforest, Guayaki’s fair-trade practices support the local economy. Back in the U.S. of A., I can reach for a pick-me-up without artificial sweeteners or jittery caffeine. Cheers to a beverage that directly benefits the people who drank it first.

Via Caroline Treadway–elephant journal, Autumn 2007.