The Mate plant is a tree with persistent leaves native to the central areas of South America. It grows wild from southern Brazil to northern Argentina, including Paraguay and Uruguay.
Mate leaves are well-known as the source of a traditional beverage drunk by the natives of this region, who made this powerful stimulant part of many ceremonies and rituals.
The consumption of Mate remains widespread locally, and the leaves are being exported with growing success to the European and North American markets. The cultivation of Mate is expanding, replacing the gathering of the leaves from wild trees.
Biolandes offers an absolute made from Mate leaves of Argentinean origin, and has also developed a certified organic extract using an organic solvent.