Yerba Mate in Popular Culture
Have you seen yerba mate on your TV screen yet? We sure have!
From professional athletes to authors, everyone loves yerba mate! The many health benefits of yerba mate are no secret, so it’s no surprise when skeptics becomes converts after trying it. Finally – something healthy that tastes good too.
Professional soccer players are drinking yerba mate left, right, and center! Many have made it part of their daily routines, drinking it before and after both practice and games. Is it a coincidence? We don’t think so! Yerba mate is known for its sustainable level of caffeine and flavor… But what else? For starters, it is a super-beverage packed full of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and polyphenols. It provides mental and physical stimulation – said to improve memory, alertness, concentration, and even cardiac function. Most importantly for these professional athletes: yerba mate has been shown to slow the build-up of lactic acid.
Cristiano Ronaldo drinks from his mate on his jet, so do Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez! Paul Pogba, Eric Dier, Edinson Cavani, Sergio Aguero, and Diego Maradona are all on board with yerba mate’s health benefits. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us!
Yerba mate’s popularity is growing, and it has appeared in a handful of movies and TV shows. In Parks and Recreation, Sam Elliot’s character Ron Dunn drinks from a gourd, while Lily Tomlin’s Frankie of Grace and Frankie enjoys yerba mate with a friend. Yerba mate has also been featured in The Motorcycle Diaries and Netflix’s The Two Popes. Of note, Pope Francis has enjoyed yerba mate on many occasions, and it has been labelled one of his favorite drinks.
Stephen King is drinking yerba mate too; during a cameo in his film IT: Chapter Two, King is seen sipping on the storied drink. Even Barack Obama has tried it!
Most recently... the emoji! 🧉🧉🧉 In a nod to yerba mate’s increasingly popular presence in North America, Apple has added the gourd to the emoji keyboard. Now you can express your mate vibes on a whole new level - this emoji is already among our most frequently used! 🧉🧉🧉
We get it – we can’t get enough yerba mate either!