Our Story
Rooted in Argentina,
made for sharing.
Mate & Co. is a cafe built around the traditional Argentine ritual of mate — a practice rooted in Guaraní culture that turns the simple act of sharing a drink into an experience of friendship and connection. That communal spirit is the heart of our identity, carried through an earthy palette and a minimalist mark where the "&" becomes a bombilla, held inside an oval for unity and the round of sharing.
A Drink the Guaraní Called Sacred
Long before mate reached a café counter, the Guaraní people of what is now Paraguay, southern Brazil, and northern Argentina called the yerba plant ka'a — the sacred herb. By legend it was a gift from Yasy, the moon, and Arai, the cloud, given in gratitude for the Guaraní's respect for nature. It fueled long hunts, it centered ceremony, and a portion was always offered to the gods before anyone drank.
The Great Equalizer
As mate spread through the colonial era — cultivated widely on Jesuit missions — it became something rare: a drink that crossed every line. Rich or poor, landowner or laborer, everyone drank from the same gourd. Out on the pampas, gauchos carried it as a daily staple, a jolt of energy between long hours on horseback. In 2013, Argentina made it official, naming yerba mate the country's national infusion.
The Ritual, Still Unbroken
Walk through any park, office, or sidewalk in Buenos Aires today and you'll see it: a thermos under one arm, a gourd in hand. The ritual hasn't changed much. One person — the cebador — fills and passes the gourd. Everyone drinks from the same bombilla, hands it back, and waits their turn. You don't say gracias until you're done — that's the signal you're out. It's slow by design. That's the point.
Even on the World Cup Bench
The ritual travels everywhere Argentines go — including the biggest stage in sports. The national team packs hundreds of pounds of yerba mate for every World Cup, passing the gourd on the bus, after training, after matches. Lionel Messi is rarely seen without his own gear, and after this year's final he sent his teammates home with personalized mate sets — the same ritual we're building this whole café around.
Built the Same Way
Our space follows the same instinct. Sculptural light-wood ceilings and furniture set a warm, natural flow. Traditional woven basketry is reinterpreted as pendant lighting. Textile accents draw from Argentine weaving, alongside handcrafted ceramics and lush greenery — a bright, organic room built for lingering, the same way a round of mate is built for staying a while longer.
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