They invented a bottle to drink mate without an ampoule and sell it for dollars in 47 countries

How to capture the essence of mate without priming in the traditional way? With this goal in mind, Marcos Stubrin (28), Agustín Favre (25) and Salvador Fernández (28) created MateCaps, a bottle for drinking mate in capsules. An innovative product that is now manufactured and sold, in dollars, to almost everyone.

As in 2019, the yerba capsules for coffee makers automatic (an initiative of the National Yerba Mate Institute), now this option appears, where mate is not a “one shot” drink, but It is taken in small sips, but without a blister.

It is a 410 milliliter bottle, with a special filter for mat where is the pressed yerba capsule and a straw in the shape of a beak. Basic equipment bring a second filter in case you want to brew tea and you can also just drink water.

The double wall of the bottle preserves the temperaturewhether you prefer a hot or cold drink.

The bottle is made of 100% recyclable material and the capsules have no packaging individual in the style of coffee, so they also do not generate waste. In addition to the traditional flavor, the “caps” come into play different mixes.

You can opt for a drink with an emphasis on what energy (Amazonia, with guarana, acai and berries), a pansy for morning (Aurora, with ginger, lemon, mint, pepper and cinnamon) and one more relaxing (Serenade, jasmine, chamomile, peppermint, lemon balm and marcela).

The blends were created with a food company, targeting the different needs of the daily routine.

The companion of the 21st century: without ampoule and in capsules?

The national drink may have supporters and detractors, but even the most fanatic must recognize that the traditionally dressed companion has its drawbacks, beyond the apprehension of sharing the bulb.

Let that flowerpot raise your hand that never spilled that deadly mixture of water and herbs on college notes or working papers.

Or the one who hasn’t juggled for prime without burning your hands when traveling by car or bus.

Or he was left with the desire for a good bitter for not being able to carry the thermos loaded with hot water and yerbera.

With a focus on these drawbacks, there have been several attempts to change the way we enjoy our most typical brew. In the 90s, Taragüí launched the Mate Listo, all plastic and polystyrene, disposable.

Then came the electric kettles, ideal for distracted people who always let the water boil. And with the advantage of always being able to drink at the right temperature.

the automatic or thermomatic came to save the discomfort of priming and its popularity grew during the pandemic, precisely because of not sharing a light bulb. And in the market there are also the aforementioned matte capsules that are compatible with coffee machines, such as those from the Southmatea brand.

Now the makers of MateCaps present it, in a timeline that can be viewed on their IG, like the 21st century way of drinking mate.

El mate del gaucho, presented in English

The history of these entrepreneurs is good glocal (local + global): although the idea is Argentinian, the bottles are made in China, the organic yerba mate comes from Brazil and the factory where the capsules are processed is in Uruguay, as well as the logistics center where orders are shipped, door to door.

“We want to bring the companion into the world and we choose our first language to be English to reach as many people who do not know it. Anyway, we are working on a Spanish version for our platforms ”, explains Marcos, founder and CEO of the company.

“Mate makes us happy”, “Zero waste natural energy”, “Jitters out. Yerba mate in “ (Mate makes us happy, natural energy without waste; nerves on the outside, yerba mate on the inside) are some of the phrases chosen to promote invention. Which is clearly based on three pillars: It is an energy drink, sustainable and healthy (without sugar or preservatives).

There is also nod to the well-known association of mate with Argentinian pampas and gaucho, star of one of the commercials, still in English.

How much does Mate equipment cost with capsules

“He is a companion who brews all alone, a practical option geared towards a modern and global audience», Explain its creators.

El “Complete Mate Pack” includes the bottle, the filter for maté, an additional filter for tea, a neoprene cover, a box for storing the capsules and two boxes of 24 units of “matecaps” (one of the traditional mixture and the other with a assortment of the other three).

It sells for $ 49, only online, via the site https://www.matecaps.com/shop/. They ship virtually all over the world, except to Spain, Chile, and Mexico, where food is not allowed through international mail. In Argentina you can also buy it, but not in national currencyTherefore, depending on the exchange rate, the equipment can be around 8 thousand pesos.

How much mate can I take with one capsule? “At first we thought about it for the contents of the bottle,” Marcos explains, “but we were told that it is perfectly benched two turns, or about 800 milliliters“.

An important fact: the bottle too can be used with a common herb, tea, or any other herb you wish to steep.

The story of the inventors

The seed of MateCaps appeared in 2018, while Marcos was still a student of industrial engineering and traveled for an exchange in Vigo, Spain.

He had brought his own companion kit and realized that the flavor and properties of yerba hit hard among its companions. However, there was something about the way of drinking mate that didn’t quite convince Europeans.

Back in his hometown of Santa Fe, he invested over a year in offer a bottle and a filter drink mate in a cleaner and more fundamental way to reach international markets totally sustainable.

Then Agustín joined, a colleague from the university and today industrial engineer, like Marcos. The team was completed by Salvador, a friend of the two and brand specialist.

Through trial and error, they developed the product, which they presented in several competition for entrepreneurs. In Uruguay, they obtained the funds for the first stage And that’s why MateCaps are made there.

“We were selected by the National Agency for Research and Innovation (ANII), which is a mixed public and private entity, with a funding program, Proyecto Uruguay, for projects in Latin America (excluding Uruguay) that intend to create products for export», Continues Marcos.

The next step was a campaign on the Kickstarter platform, where, in just three hours, they managed to raise the necessary funds thanks to the pre-sale of a thousand bottles. Although the pandemic has slowed plans a bit, in April they managed to send 900 packages to 47 countries. Its main clients are in the United States, Argentina and Germany.

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