Abstract

"Rebranding Yerba Mate from a Symbol of National Identity in South America to a Hipster Energy Drink in the United States and Germany"

Julia Sarreal, Arizona State University (julia.sarreal@asu.edu)

In the southern cone of South America (Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, southern Brazil, and parts of Chile and Bolivia) yerba mate is more than a caffeinated drink; it’s a shared beverage that fosters community, a basic necessity, a prized social activity, and a cherished marker of regional and national identity. In contrast, in the United States, yerba mate is a healthy energy drink popular among college students and hipsters, and in Germany, it’s an energizing party drink for revelers and hackers. The growth in superfoods created an opening for yerba mate outside of South America, but consumers also don’t want things that are too unfamiliar. As this essay reveals, the process of adapting and giving new meanings to an exotic foreign item has extended beyond localization, turning yerba mate into an entirely different beverage in the United States and Germany. What follows is a case study of how two companies (Guayakí and Club-Mate) created new ways of drinking yerba mate and reshaped ideas of authenticity, identity, and community (ideas that are foundational to yerba mate in South America) to successfully market the beverage in foreign markets.