It all started in 2011 with a silicone Mate cup.
Industrial designers Mercedes Buey Fernandez, age 33 and Nicolás Tiferes, age 37, met in college and wanted to set up their own industrial design studio.
They first had to show that they could design, market and produce a product, though.
This is how that iconic Mate cup was born, with the name of “Mathienzo,” which would later become a brand of premium Yerba Mate. Today, they sell throughout Argentina and different countries around the world.
According to Tiferes, Mate is an Argentine national icon, along with the Asado, the Tango, the Empanada and the Gaucho.
It represents unity and sharing, helps people socialize, facilitates networking and lengthens or promotes conversation, while reducing social distance to make more intimate, relaxed and informal connections.
Tiferes says the Mate tradition is transmitted by family inheritance: From parents to children, the habit is passed from generation to generation. For many parents, it’s a source of pride that their children start drinking mate.
Additionally, Yerba Mate is diuretic, it energizes and it contains vitamins and minerals.
Find out more about Mathienzo’s premium products at www.mathienzo.com.
