Yerba mate is a natural, medicinal herbal tea traditionally consumed in Latin America. During my undergraduate years in college, I had the opportunity to be introduced to this amazing drink by a group of Latin American farmers visiting my workplace, a nonprofit international farming agency. Each day, as we drove out to the farmlands, we conquered cultural and language barriers as we shared gourds of yerba mate. When the farmers departed, my connection to their community remained in my heart. The farmers gave me more than a tea tradition. They fed my soul and inspired my journey to start a business based on social responsibility.
Although yerba mate was introduced to me as a simple alternative to coffee, I soon learned through my research that it is actually derived from a tropical plant that is packed with amino acids, vitamins and minerals. It acts as an antioxidant and a stimulant, and contains medicinal properties. As I unearthed the benefits of yerba mate, the intense bond I had formed with the Latin American farmers tugged at my heart and stayed in my head. I wanted to share not only the healthy qualities of yerba mate with my friends, but also the communal bonding experience of ritually sharing this drink.
On a student's budget, I soon discovered that I could only afford to dip into the ritual elements, rather than drink yerba mate as it is customarily enjoyed in Latin America, where it is a daily source of nutrition and energy. Traditionally, yerba mate uses a large proportion of tea to water, and the cost of importing large amounts of the tea was prohibitive. When I did splurge in purchasing the tea, I then faced the dilemma of how to brew and drink it. In Latin America, yerba mate is brewed in a specific style of gourd and sipped through a special straw to fully take in the nourishment.

My desire for the tea, combined with my humanistic philosophies, led me to develop a small business network. My goal was to bring affordable bulk yerba mate to my friends and acquaintances. At the time I did not envision that my network would expand to eventually offer the largest variety of yerba mate teas and accessories in the United States. I did, however, consciously decide to take the path less traveled by creating a business model with a primary goal driven by humanistic philosophies. I designed my business around fairness, respect and cooperation in every aspect of the business from producer to consumer.
In many ways, this ancient, ritually shared tea that feeds the soul is the antithesis of greed and selfishness. I began to understand why the tradition of a community drink – one that opens hearts and minds while healing and nourishing the body – would have difficulty blossoming in our busy, individualistic culture. In order to be true to myself, I vowed to stay true to the tea and to the Latin American culture. I achieved that goal by simply selling the product as it is sold in South America where prices are affordable for all socioeconomic levels of society. I brought integrity to the forefront by introducing the wonderful health benefits of the tea to as many people as possible.
I was also committed to fairness and honesty with my suppliers in South America. I knew that the only way to successfully accomplish this goal was to bridge the cultural and language barriers. For six months, I split my time living in Buenos Aires, Argentina and in Colonia, Uruguay. In business terms, the experience was both practical and useful. Personally, it was priceless. I built friendships that allowed me to learn about the human side of yerba mate. As my South American friends and I shared thoughts, ideas and laughter over this amazing drink, the metaphors of all it represented nurtured the foundation of my business network.
Being immersed in the culture propelled me on my path toward progress. I brought information to my network that could only be learned by living among the drink and its drinkers. With an understanding of the language and the culture, I formed symbiotic relationships with my suppliers. I found that we shared the same ethical business beliefs. With a commitment to ourselves and to each other, we brought a new vision to the North American market.
It is no mistake that education has been the backbone of the network from its birth. It is a fundamental aspect of a business model committed to human responsibility and satisfaction. I revel in the powerful ability of the Internet, which enables me to share the wealth of knowledge surrounding this drink with those who support me. In addition, I donate 10% of the proceeds to human rights organizations. When customers see our business addressing the issue of human rights, the endless connectivity in the world becomes tangible and touches their lives. As they hold a bag of tea in their hand, they also hold the knowledge of how one small bag of tea affects the lives of so many people across the world.
I have come to recognize good business conduct as more than a platform or a set of values. While focusing solely on satisfying the customer becomes an obstacle to integrity, ethics and human satisfaction, the essence of yerba mate inspires us to intend that every human involved in the market remains satisfied with our method of running business. The equation was not based upon putting profit first. Instead, the business was successfully developed based upon the principles of humanism. I have no doubt that I now understand the true meaning of success.

In addition to founding the yerba mate network in the United States, Jon Esslinger is a lecturer on philosophical education and emotion in the work place. If you would like to discover more about yerba mate or the network in your area, please visit www.yerbatea.com.