Top Yerba Mate Producing Countries

Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is a subtropical plant native to South America, and its cultivation is most prominent in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, which together account for nearly all global production. The indigenous Guaraní people were the first to harvest and consume yerba mate leaves, and they introduced the beverage to Spanish colonists in the 16th century. The Jesuit missionaries played a crucial role in the 17th and 18th centuries by developing systematic cultivation techniques, including seed germination methods that enabled large-scale farming. After the expulsion of the Jesuits in the late 1700s, mate farming declined but was later revived and expanded by local farmers in the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, Argentina leads global production, especially in the Misiones and Corrientes provinces, followed by Brazil (notably in Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul) and Paraguay, where yerba mate remains an integral part of culture and economy.

Data from United Nations FAO Stat