Taragüí
Encyclopedia
Taragüí —after the Guaraní
name of Corrientes Province
, in northeastern Argentina
— is a popular brand of yerba mate
in Argentina, also available in many other countries in South America
, in Spain
, and others where mate is also enjoyed. It is planted, harvested and manufactured in eastern Corrientes by Establecimiento Las Marías
, one of the largest companies in the sector, which also markets several other brands —Unión, La Merced and La Mañanita—, as well as tea
and other beverages.
Las Marías has marketed disposable kits containing a plastic gourd, a mate straw and 35 g of Taragüí yerba, to allow preparation of the beverage without the traditional utensils, under the trade label Mate listo ("ready mate") since 1992; they have met with limited success, but remain part of the brand's offer, which also includes several flavoured blends.
The brand logo draws upon the name's origin, depicting the name superimposed on a map of Corrientes
.
Production at Establecimiento Las Marias is vertically integrated, starting with either seedbeds or cuttings from the most productive trees. Raw material is also sourced from vetted growers who are constantly monitored by company technicians both at the farm and at the buying stations. Some highlights of innovation are the development of instant mate in 1964, packing mate in tea bags in 1966, development of high density planting in 1973 and mechanical harvesting in 1981. Product development has continued with the market segmentation created by ‘Union’ the first light flavored mate in 1982, with Taragui Mate Listo in 1992, which is mate-to-go in a disposable container, needing only water, with a low caffeine product called ’Relax, which has a percentage of Ilex Dumosa, a variety with no caffeine which was made commercially viable by Las Marias agricultural engineers, and “Bio” the first yerba mate with natural prebiotics.
Guaraní language
Guaraní, specifically the primary variety known as Paraguayan Guaraní , is an indigenous language of South America that belongs to the Tupí–Guaraní subfamily of the Tupian languages. It is one of the official languages of Paraguay , where it is spoken by the majority of the population, and half of...
name of Corrientes Province
Corrientes Province
Corrientes is a province in northeast Argentina, in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by : Paraguay, the province of Misiones, Brazil, Uruguay, and the provinces of Entre Rios, Santa Fe and Chaco.-History:...
, in northeastern Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
— is a popular brand of yerba mate
Yerba mate
Maté, yerba maté or erva maté , Ilex paraguariensis, is a species of holly native to subtropical South America in northeastern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay...
in Argentina, also available in many other countries in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and others where mate is also enjoyed. It is planted, harvested and manufactured in eastern Corrientes by Establecimiento Las Marías
Establecimiento Las Marías
Establecimiento Las Marías is a company specializing in infusions, It develops them all the way from plant to package.It is a source of tea, and its lands are the producers of yerba mate....
, one of the largest companies in the sector, which also markets several other brands —Unión, La Merced and La Mañanita—, as well as tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
and other beverages.
Las Marías has marketed disposable kits containing a plastic gourd, a mate straw and 35 g of Taragüí yerba, to allow preparation of the beverage without the traditional utensils, under the trade label Mate listo ("ready mate") since 1992; they have met with limited success, but remain part of the brand's offer, which also includes several flavoured blends.
The brand logo draws upon the name's origin, depicting the name superimposed on a map of Corrientes
Corrientes
Corrientes is the capital city of the province of Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from Buenos Aires and from Posadas, on National Route 12...
.
Establecimiento las Marías & Taragüí
The Navajas family, which owns Las Marias, started the mate operation in 1924 on their cattle estancia with 38 hectares of planted mate. The raw material was and, largely still is, produced by small holders and subsequently bought by processors and packers . Most small producers cannot be relied on to deliver a consistent raw material. Production at Las Marias expanded over the years to the present 4,000 hectares of mate, which complements the 2,000 hectares of tea. Tea harvesting is completely mechanized and a high percentage of mate. Both mate and tea are processed and packed on site in Gdor. Virasoro, a town in Corrientes Province. Currently, there are more than 60 Maisa machines running, primarily for tea, but not exclusively, and 14 machines packing loose mate and two Fontana machines packing compressed mate, primarily for the Middle East market. Distribution and exports are handled in Buenos Aires.Production at Establecimiento Las Marias is vertically integrated, starting with either seedbeds or cuttings from the most productive trees. Raw material is also sourced from vetted growers who are constantly monitored by company technicians both at the farm and at the buying stations. Some highlights of innovation are the development of instant mate in 1964, packing mate in tea bags in 1966, development of high density planting in 1973 and mechanical harvesting in 1981. Product development has continued with the market segmentation created by ‘Union’ the first light flavored mate in 1982, with Taragui Mate Listo in 1992, which is mate-to-go in a disposable container, needing only water, with a low caffeine product called ’Relax, which has a percentage of Ilex Dumosa, a variety with no caffeine which was made commercially viable by Las Marias agricultural engineers, and “Bio” the first yerba mate with natural prebiotics.
Exports from Argentina
Of the 310,000 tons produced, 40,000 tons are exported, both in bulk and packed. With a 45% market share, Las Marias is the leader of the packed (branded) segment, which is 7,000 tons. Las Marias has taken the strategic decision to only sell branded products, either domestically or for export. Other companies exporting packed mate are Don Basilio and La Chacchuera. Many companies export bulk mate primarily, to Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay but also to Syria and Lebanon. North America, Europe and parts of Asia are growing markets for both forms of exports. Bulk mate is used both as the raw material for brands and as an ingredient in other products, such as energy drinks. The Middle East, accounting for roughly 60% of exports, is such a major market because there was a reverse migration in the 1950’s. Those who returned had been in Argentina for several generations and had therefore picked up the local habits, such as drinking mate in the traditional way. New markets are being developed in Europe and in North America. Most of the new markets are teabag ones, but Poland is an exception. There, traditional mate is a seen as quick and easy adventurous experience, perhaps similar to smoking a hookah, which also has an inherent social component.See also
- Yerba MatéYerba mateMaté, yerba maté or erva maté , Ilex paraguariensis, is a species of holly native to subtropical South America in northeastern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay...
- History of Yerba MatéHistory of yerba mateThe history of yerba mate, that stretches back to pre-Columbian Paraguay, is marked by a rapid expansion in harvest and consumption in the Spanish South American colonies but also by its difficult domestication process, which even if discovered in the mid 17th century had to be rediscovered later...
- MatervaMatervaMaterva is a mate soft drink, produced in Miami by Cawy Bottling Company. Materva is made from yerba mate, a tea popular in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Materva is very popular among Cubans and other Hispanics in the United States. There is also a diet version called Diet Materva...
(maté soft drink)