19/07/2026 12:19 - Economia
For an Argentine, drinking yerba mate is a daily ritual, but for an industrial designer like Nicolás Tiferes, it was an opportunity to innovate. In 2012, when traditional mate cups were exclusively made of calabash (a dried squash) or metal, Tiferes saw a unique chance to disrupt the market. He invented a silicone mate, an unbreakable, heat-resistant product that sold 500,000 units in its first five or six years.
Following the successful business model of Nespresso—where the ongoing revenue comes from the coffee capsules rather than the machine itself—Tiferes decided to dive into the yerba mate industry. Thus, in 2022, Mathienzo was born, a premium yerba mate brand designed for export, produced in Oberá, Misiones (the heartland of Argentine yerba production).
Mathienzo goes far beyond traditional yerba. Driven by innovation, the brand developed products like Mathienzo Tonic, a yerba mate-based tonic water; pure yerba mate leaf powder, ideal for flavoring drinks and infusions; and even a yerba mate-flavored alfajor (a traditional Argentine sweet treat) created in collaboration with Dulce de Leche & Co.
Currently, the brand exports to Chile, Australia, Thailand, the Czech Republic, and Russia, with an annual production of approximately 35,000 kilos. They sell through digital channels and directly to businesses (B2B).
To boost the brand in the elite world of polo, Tiferes partnered with Lando Simonetti and Adrián Simonetti, chairman and global CEO of La Martina, the iconic Argentine brand that dresses polo players worldwide. The Simonettis were Tiferes' mentors and first employers when he was a young cadete, and are now minority partners in his venture.
The shared vision is clear: mate is part of the polo player's technical equipment, just like the saddle, helmet, or mallet. As Lando Simonetti states: We are not just another yerba mate brand; we are the yerba of polo.
Furthermore, the brand ventured into technology by tokenizing a batch of aged yerba mate, allowing people worldwide to participate economically in the category's growth through blockchain assets.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
