Guayaki Yerba Mate

Food & Beverage

Headquartered in United States

Guayaki Yerba Mate is an independent company headquartered in Sebastopol, California, that produces and sells yerba mate beverages and loose-leaf products sourced from the Atlantic Forest region of South America, primarily Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. The company was founded in 1996 and markets its products across North America through retail and foodservice channels. Guayaki operates under a self-described 'market-driven restoration' business model, which it uses to frame its sourcing and land-use practices.

Fair Trade Certified ↗
USDA Organic ↗
Regenerative Organic Certified ↗
B Corp ↗
Fair Trade
Renewable energy
Net-zero target
Sustainable packaging
Waste reduction
No forced labor
No child labor
Supplier code of conduct

How Guayaki Yerba Mate scores

Three pillars, scored independently. Higher is better.

Environmental

86.9

Likely excellent
Labor

86.9

Likely excellent
Compliance

73.5

Likely great

What Guayaki Yerba Mate does well

B Corp Certified

Guayaki has maintained B Corp certification from B Lab, reflecting an assessment of its social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency across multiple dimensions of its business.
USDA Organic Certification

Guayaki's yerba mate products carry USDA Organic certification, indicating that the agricultural inputs and handling practices meet federal organic standards as verified by an accredited certifying agent.
Rainforest Alliance Certification

Guayaki has pursued Rainforest Alliance certification for portions of its yerba mate supply chain, which involves third-party auditing of environmental and social standards at the farm level.
1% for the Planet Member

Guayaki has been a member of 1% for the Planet, committing to donate at least one percent of annual sales to environmental nonprofit organizations.

The detail

Environment

Guayaki sources its yerba mate from certified organic and shade-grown operations in the Atlantic Forest, a biodiversity hotspot, and states that its sourcing model is intended to support forest regeneration rather than deforestation, according to the company's published sustainability materials. The company holds USDA Organic certification for its products and has pursued Rainforest Alliance certification for some of its supply chain. Guayaki has published claims about carbon sequestration associated with its shade-grown sourcing model, though independent third-party verification of these specific carbon claims is limited in publicly available documentation. Packaging sustainability initiatives have been referenced in company communications, but comprehensive public reporting on emissions, water usage, or waste metrics across operations is not widely available.

Labor

Guayaki states that it works directly with farming communities and cooperatives in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, and frames these relationships as central to its market-driven restoration model. The company has referenced fair-trade-aligned purchasing practices and community development in its marketing and sustainability materials. Guayaki holds B Corp certification, which includes a social and labor component assessed by B Lab, though the scope and depth of independent supply chain labor audits beyond the B Corp assessment are not extensively documented in public sources. Limited public data is available on specific wage levels, worker safety records, or formal diversity reporting.