CBSé is an Argentinian brand of ''yerba mate'' that has been in the market for more than forty years. It was the first brand to create ''yerba mate compuesta'',"Nosotros"
www.cbse.com.ar. Retrieved 6 September, 2023. which is a mix of ''yerba mate'' and herbs. The company produces different types of ''yerba mate'' as well as other related products.

Origin

CBSé was founded in 1978 by Florentino Orquera and María Amelia Elizagaray in

San Francisco, Córdoba San Francisco is a city located at the far east border of the province of Córdoba, Argentina, and parts of the city are beyond the border into the province of Santa Fe. In the city National Routes 19 and 158 intersect. It is the fourth most po ...

. Their motivation began with the goal of improving their family's economic prospects.Iglesias, E. (2020, May 14)
De Córdoba al mundo: cuál es la historia de la yerbatera CBSé
''El Cronista''. Retrieved 6 September, 2023. Identifying an untapped market for mixed ''yerba mate'', Florentino and María began formulating unique combinations in their home. These experimental efforts led to the birth of "Hierbas Serranas", which was the first ''yerba mate'' product in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

to feature added herbs. Florentino chose the brand name "CBSé" to signify the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

verb "cebar," referring to the act of preparing mate. Initial sales took place within local markets, often involving bicycle deliveries and cartons featuring hand-painted logos.

Expansion

CBSé expanded its reach in 1982, as it transitioned from operating within the family home to a plant in Frontera, Santa Fe, covering an area of 15,000 m² on 8 hectares. In 1993, CBSé's administrative offices opened in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, marking a strategic step in the company's development. The brand ventured into cultivating its own aromatic herbs in the fertile Valle Fértil of

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

in 1994, bringing a diverse range of flavors to its offerings. In 1998, CBSé extended its presence to

Misiones Misiones (, ''Missions'') is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north, east and south, and Corrientes P ...

with the establishment of the Establecimiento Santa Ana, covering 12,000 m² on 25 hectares. The year 2010 saw CBSé expand its infrastructure by setting up three drying facilities in

Capioví Capioví is a village and municipality in Misiones Province in north-eastern Argentina.Ministerio del Interior
Land w ...

, San Pedro, Dos Arroyos and Andresito, Misiones.

Innovations

The year 1997 witnessed CBSé's introduction of the first flavored ''yerba mate'' products in the market. The launch included orange, lemon,

grapefruit The grapefruit (''Citrus'' × ''paradisi'') is a subtropical citrus tree known for its relatively large, sour to semi-sweet, somewhat bitter fruit. The flesh of the fruit is segmented and varies in color from pale yellow to dark red. Grapefru ...

, and coffee flavors, creating a new dimension in the ''yerba mate'' industry. In 2011, the brand unveiled the "Hierbas Cuyanas" line, showcasing a unique mix of boldo ('' Peumus boldus''), melissa ( ''Melissa'' ''officinalis''), fennel (''

Foeniculum vulgare Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized ...

''), chamomile (''

Chamaemelum nobile ''Chamaemelum nobile'', commonly known as chamomile (also spelled camomile), is a low perennial plant found in dry fields and around gardens and cultivated grounds in Europe, North America, and South America. Its synonym is ''Anthemis nobilis ...

''), and mint (''

Mentha ''Mentha'', also known as mint (from Greek , Linear B ''mi-ta''), is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is estimated that 13 to 24 species exist, but the exact distinction between species is unclear. Hybridization oc ...

''). The year 2017 marked the launch of "Mi Primer Mate," a limited-edition line designed for children, and the rebranding of the "Energía" variety as "CBSé Guaraná" with illuminating packaging. In 2018, CBSé unveiled the premium "CBSé Etiqueta Negra," a version of the traditional Hierbas Serranas composed of ''yerba mate'' and premium herbs aged naturally for 18 months.

Modernization

A significant milestone in 2013 was CBSé's reimagining of its product packaging, incorporating a modernist aesthetic to enhance marketing appeal. Sol Orquera, the CEO and daughter of Florentino, played a pivotal role in modernizing the brand's marketing efforts, developing campaigns, overseeing rebranding initiatives, and revitalizing the brand's online presence. CBSé advocated for cultural recognition in 2015 by petitioning the

Unicode Consortium The Unicode Consortium (legally Unicode, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization incorporated and based in Mountain View, California, U.S. Its primary purpose is to maintain and publish the Unicode Standard which was developed with the in ...

to include the ''

mate Mate may refer to: Science * Mate, one of a pair of animals involved in: ** Mate choice, intersexual selection *** Mate choice in humans ** Mating * Multi-antimicrobial extrusion protein, or MATE, an efflux transporter family of proteins Pers ...

'' as an

emoji An emoji ( ; plural emoji or emojis; , ) is a pictogram, logogram, ideogram, or smiley embedded in text and used in electronic messages and web pages. The primary function of modern emoji is to fill in emotional cues otherwise missing from type ...

, reinforcing its significance in Argentine heritage. Continuing its trend of innovation, CBSé introduced "Mateando", the world's first Mate Food Truck, in 2016.

Market and distribution

CBSé is one of the main brands in the national market. According to a survey by Economic, Establecimiento Santa Ana, responsible for CBSé distribution, ranks third in the yerba mate field,"La historia del cordobés que convirtió el mate con yuyos en un negocio millonario: por qué no producen yerba"
(2022, June 28). ''El Cronista''. Retrieved 6 September, 2023. with 22 million kilos on display in supermarkets. The first and second places belong to Taragüí (Establecimiento Las Marías) and Playadito (Cooperativa Liebig) respectively. After the company expanded in the national market with the introduction of flavored varieties in the late 1990s, CBSé earned ISO 9001-2000 quality certification. This certification enabled it to export its products to

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

, the

USA The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

, and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. In 2021, CBSé's label entered the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

with a customized 250-gram packaging. The brand exported over a million kilos in that year. However, exports account for only 2 percent of their sales. Currently, CBSé distributes its products to different countries around the world. In America, their products are exported to

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

and the US; in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, to the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and

. They also export to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

Facilities

The company currently has six facilities located in different parts of

. CBSé’s administrative headquarters are based in Buenos Aires. Its industrial facility, Establecimiento Santa Ana, is located in Santa Ana, Misiones. They also have three drying facilities in

, one in

Capioví Capioví is a village and municipality in Misiones Province in north-eastern Argentina.Ministerio del Interior
Land w ...

, one in San Pedro and another in Andresito. In addition to these, they grow their own crops of aromatic herbs in Valle Fértil, San Juan. Their facility Planta Frontera in Santa Fé functions as a bagging plant.

Different types of ''yerba mate'' and other products

These varieties include flavored ''yerba mate'', which contains added flavor, ''yerba mate'' mixed with different herbs that add aromatic properties, a sweetened variety and a variety with added nutrients. The following is a list of the different varieties mentioned on their website. Flavored:

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

, guaraná,

berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone fruit, stone or pit (fruit), pit although many wikt:pip#Etymology 2, pips or seeds may be p ...

(

blueberry Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' with the genus ''Vaccinium''. Commercial blueberries—both wild (lowbush) ...

raspberry The raspberry is the edible fruit of several plant species in the genus ''Rubus'' of the Rosaceae, rose family, most of which are in the subgenus ''Rubus#Modern classification, Idaeobatus''. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Ras ...

cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet '' Prunus avium'' and the sour '' Prunus cerasus''. The na ...

and

strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit ...

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in late summer into mid-autumn. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the Family (biology), family Rosaceae, bearing the Pome, po ...

and green

apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

, tropical fruits (

passion fruit ''Passiflora edulis'', commonly known as passion fruit, is a vine species of passion flower native to the region of southern Brazil through Paraguay to northern Argentina. It is cultivated commercially in tropical and subtropical areas for its ...

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...

papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus '' Carica'' of the family Caricaceae, and also the name of its fruit. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within ...

and

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

), orange,

, and

lemon The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...

. With herbs: mountain herbs (mint (''

''), pennyroyal (''

Mentha pulegium ''Mentha pulegium'', commonly (European) pennyroyal, or pennyrile, also called mosquito plant and pudding grass, is a species of flowering plant in the Mentha, mint Family (biology), family, Lamiaceae, native to Europe, North Africa, and the Midd ...

'') and ''peperina'' ('' Minthostachys verticillata'')), herbs from the Cuyo region (pennyroyal (''

''), boldo ('' Peumus boldus''), fennel (''

''), lemon balm ('' Melissa officinalis''), ''incayuyo'' ('' Lippia integrifolia''), coriander (''

Coriandrum sativum Coriander (), whose leaves are known as cilantro () in the U.S. and parts of Canada, and dhania in parts of South Asia and Africa, is an annual herb (''Coriandrum sativum'') in the family Apiaceae. Most people perceive the leaves as ha ...

''), chamomile (''

''), mint), and herbs from the Argentinian

littoral The littoral zone, also called litoral or nearshore, is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely i ...

region (lemon verbena (''

Aloysia citrodora ''Aloysia citrodora'', lemon verbena, is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family (biology), family Verbenaceae, native plant, native to South America. Other common names include lemon beebrush. It was brought to Europe by the Spain, Sp ...

''), mint and coriander with a touch of

lime Lime most commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Bo ...

). Sweet: “Endulife” (with

stevia Stevia () is a sweet sugar substitute that is about 50 to 300 times sweetness, sweeter than sugar. It is extracted from the leaves of ''Stevia rebaudiana'', a plant native to areas of Paraguay and Brazil. The active compounds in stevia are ...

), and

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

. Healthy: “Silueta” (with sweet briar (''

Rosa rubiginosa ''Rosa rubiginosa'' (sweet briar, sweetbriar rose, sweet brier or eglantine; synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''R. eglanteria'') is a species of rose native to Europe and western Asia. Description It is a dense deciduous shrub 2–3 meters high and ac ...

''), pennyroyal, fennel, ''Fucus'', mint, lemon verbena and boldo, and vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, B12 and

Zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...

), and “Regulasé” (with

prebiotics Prebiotic may refer to: * Prebiotic (chemistry), inorganic or organic chemistry in the natural environment before the advent of life on Earth * Prebiotic (nutrition), non-digestible food ingredients See also * Probiotic Probiotics are live ...

and a touch of

plum A plum is a fruit of some species in Prunus subg. Prunus, ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are often called prunes, though in the United States they may be labeled as 'dried plums', especially during the 21st century. Plums are ...

). Other products that can be found on their website are different types of ''

mates Mates is an English surname, and may refer to: * Mates (born 1964), British newsreader and journalist * Michael Mates (born 1934), British politician * Frederick S. Mates, founded the Mates Investment Fund in 1967 that crashed in the bear market ...

'', a ''mate'' bag, a

vacuum flask A vacuum flask (also known as a Dewar flask, Dewar bottle or thermos) is an insulating storage vessel that slows the speed at which its contents change in temperature. It greatly lengthens the time over which its contents remain hotter or coo ...

, a

drinking straw A drinking straw is a List of eating utensils, utensil that uses suction to carry the contents of a beverage to one's mouth. A straw is used by placing one end in the mouth and the other in a beverage. By applying suction with the mouth, the air ...

, and flavored ''mate cocido''."Accesorios"
www.tiendacbse.com.ar. Retrieved 6 September, 2023

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:CBSe Yerba mate Argentine brands 1978 establishments in Argentina Food and drink companies based in Buenos Aires c Organic farming organizations Organizations established in 1978