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This article is part of a series of 4 articles on the importance of mate in the culture of its 4 main consuming countries: Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil.
Particularly known as the national drink of Argentina and Uruguay, mate has a special place in Brazil. It is not called "mate" there but "chimarrão".
Less known for mate than its neighbors, Brazil remains the second largest producer in the world.
When talking about Brazil, one immediately thinks of football, the Rio carnival, Corcovado, the Amazon, or the paradise beaches.
But Brazil is not just that. It is also a huge country. The 7th global economic power and the 6th most populous country in the world, with over 200 million inhabitants.
The mate is a cultural heritage of the Guaranis that is appreciated throughout the southern part of Brazil. Just like in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, there are many customs and traditions surrounding this drink.
On the other hand, it is not known there as mate, but as chimarrão.
Aside from this difference in naming, chimarrão differs from mate in neighboring countries in 2 ways:
Although chimarrão can be found throughout Brazil, it is primarily rooted in the southern states: Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, and in some parts of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul.
If the amount of mate consumed per capita is much lower than in Uruguay or in Argentina, it is because only a certain portion of the 200 million Brazilians consume it regularly.
Indeed, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the main producer and consumer of mate in Brazil, consumption is 9 kg per person per year. This is more than in Argentina, and almost as much as in Uruguay!
Proof that Brazil is a true country of mate (or rather chimarrão, to be correct), the drink made from green leaves is celebrated on April 24 each year during the Dia do Chimarrão.
This national day was decreed by law on June 20, 2003, in homage to the culture of southern Brazil.
It is the second country to have established a national day for its famous drink (after Paraguay in 1997, and before Argentina in 2015).
Brazil is the second largest producer of mate in the world, behind Argentina.
But it is also the world's leading producer of green mate.
Mate is produced in the south of Brazil, almost entirely in 3 states (98%):
The remaining 2% is also produced in a southern state, Mato Grosso do Sul.
Brazil produces nearly 200,000 tons of mate per year, of which 84% is consumed by Brazilians and 16% is destined for export.
The 5 countries that import the most mate from Brazil are (in order):
Unlike Argentina, where 80% of the mate production is ensured by only 7 or 8 companies, Brazil's production is less industrial. It comes from 400 small companies without any real "leader".
While mate is primarily consumed traditionally in a calabash in the form of chimarrão, it is also frequently consumed in tereré and is becoming very popular in iced tea.
The chimarrão, traditional Brazilian mate, consumed in a calabash with a bombilla, is almost exclusively consumed in the southern states:
In each country its mate.
And the mate from Brazil has its share of differences compared to that of its neighbors:
Here are some of the brands that are often found in Brazil:
Of course, this list is not exhaustive and there are hundreds of different brands.
The gourds used in Brazil, called "cuia", are a bit different from those used in neighboring countries. They are made from a squash, just like the traditional Argentine gourds, but from a different part of the fruit.
Above all, they are much larger than the gourds from Argentina or Uruguay.
Just like classic mate, you need a mate straw (known as "bombilla" in Spanish or "bomba" in Portuguese) to drink chimarrão.
However, the bombillas used in Brazil are slightly different from those generally found.
They are longer (to be used in Brazilian gourds, which are larger) and have a finer filter, suitable for the powdery texture of chimarrão.
The Tereré is a mate infusion similar to traditional mate, except that it is prepared with cold water and ice instead of hot water.
Tereré is particularly popular in Brazil and in the Paraguay. It is often prepared with fruit juice (lemon, orange, or even pineapple) and is drunk from a special gourd.
Tereré gourds or "guampa" are gourds with an atypical shape, traditionally made from animal horns, which can also be found in glass or wood.
But for about ten years, mate has been spreading to the rest of Brazil in the form of iced tea. You can now find stores selling iced mate tea in the states of Rio de Janeiro (1,500 tons per year) and São Paulo (600 tons per year).
The popularity of chimarrão is skyrocketing in Brazil, mainly for its benefits. Iced tea is an ideal way to enjoy it while refreshing yourself when it's hot.
Here, we are talking about a single brand.
Because while you can find hundreds of chimarrão brands, mate tea is almost exclusively the product of a single company in Brazil: Matte Leão.
Unlike Brazilian chimarrão brands, which are small and medium-sized enterprises, Matte Leão is a very large company, established over 100 years ago and now owned by Coca-Cola.
