From Washington State to Buenos Aires: Heretic Yerba Wins Three Medals at the First World Yerba Mate Championship

Wow guys... where do we even begin?

Back in March, two North American Yerba Mate Ambassadors, Sharon from The Mate Experience and Carolina from Toronto, reached out and asked if we'd be interested in entering the first-ever World Yerba Mate Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Our first reaction was simple:

"No way."

We figured there was no chance a small company from Washington State could compete against some of the biggest and most established names in the yerba mate world.

Thankfully, they didn't let us dismiss the idea so easily.

After a little encouragement, we decided to send three bags for judging:

• Traditional Yerba Mate
• Yerba Mate, Guayusa, Mint Blend 
• Yerba Mate, Guayusa Blend

Our goal wasn't to win anything.

Honestly, we were hoping to receive professional feedback from experienced judges and learn where we could improve.

So we packed up our samples, shipped them off, and got back to work.

Then this week we received the results.

Our Traditional Blend earned a Gold Medal.

Our Mint Blend earned a Silver Medal.

Our Guayusa Blend earned a Bronze Medal.

Three entries.

Three medals.

We still haven't completely wrapped our heads around it.

To have our blends recognized on an international stage at the inaugural World Yerba Mate Championship is an incredible honor.

As a small husband-and-wife business from Washington State, we never expected to find ourselves alongside some of the most respected names in the mate world.

What makes this recognition especially meaningful is that the products were evaluated through a blind tasting process focused on quality alone.

No marketing.

No brand recognition.

Just the yerba.

Most importantly, this recognition belongs to more than just us.

It belongs to every person who has purchased a bag, stopped by our market booth, shared a social media post, introduced a friend to mate, or believed in what we're building.

When we started Heretic Yerba, we simply wanted to share a drink we loved with more people.

To now have all three of our blends recognized on an international stage is something we'll never forget.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

— Dan & Kristina