Greetings, Aviva exhibited at the World Tea Expo last month, and I must say that it was a success. We are still following up on leads both here in North America and internationally. The general feeling is that tea is warming its way into the hectic lifestyles of the North American Consumer. One thing I noticed at the show was the international tea professionals were present. These countries have been drinking tea in a big way for thousands of years. Compared to them, we are infants just learning to crawl. With that said, opportunity is knocking at the door to bring new customers to the market, and most importantly to educate them. This fact is good for both tea companies and for Aviva yerba mate. In this vast world of tea, one point stands out and that is quality. Where the tea is grown, how it is grown, and how it is picked and processed all make a difference in the end product. Our Idaho warehouse is getting a first hand experience on what our producers have to do to provide us with the high quality of Premium Wild Harvest Aviva yerba mate. When we were making arrangements to receive our last 20' container from the ranch, I asked if they could send me some whole leaf yerba mate, dried but unprocessed. I was expecting a few kilos but they sent me about 400 kilos. What is happening now is we are getting low on our inventory so we are having to mill the large leaves and pick the sticks and stems out by hand. Wow, this is no easy task. In order to provide our customers with our big leaf product with limited sticks, stems and minimal powder, the undesirables have to be manually removed.
Enlarged images of these pics can be found at http://www.yerba-mate.com/ourproducts.htm
This process is just one way that makes our yerba mate unique and helps us stand apart from all of the other yerba mate companies out there. I am including a picture of 5 employees at the ranch grinding and picking out the sticks and stems. Yes, this is very labor intensive and very costly, but I like to look at it this way. Yes it is very expensive, but it provides us with the ability to offer our customers a unique experience when it comes to enjoying yerba mate. Most importantly, our unique process is providing jobs to local people who really need them in the countryside of Paraguay where unemployment can hover above 80%.
The other side of this coin is we understand that more new people are coming to the marketplace of yerba mate every day. They may be intimidated by the different offerings and the different price ranges from companies here in the US and from companies selling from South America. For some time we have been sending for samples from producers in Argentina and Southern Brazil. Our goal was to provide our customers not only with the highest quality product from Paraguay, but also the highest quality product from other yerba mate producing regions. We had two main criteria quality leaf cut and certified organic. We have built our business on having high standards for our products as well as our customer service. Our customers have found that we have delivered on both of these missions. I am happy to say that we have sourced what we feel is some of the highest quality and best tasting yerba mate coming out of Argentina. We are currently taking orders for this product; however, any orders containing the Argentine organic yerba won't ship until the first week in May. The Aviva Argentine Organic is priced considerably lower than the Wild Harvest Aviva yerba mate. For those of you who want to taste the difference between Wild Harvest and farm grown yerba, this would be a good opportunity to do so.
We want to hear from you! (and we'll try to make it worth your time!) We can stand up here on our soapbox and tout the benefits of drinking Aviva yerba mate 'til we're blue in the face, and that still wouldn't have the impact on a yerba newbie like hearing about it from a fellow consumer. As a result, we're asking for you to submit a testimonial about your experience drinking Aviva yerba mate. Why do you drink Aviva over other brands? Is it the Wild Harvest (organic) aspect? Is it the pure leaf consistency (vs. traditional sticks/stems)? Is it the variety of flavors we offer? The convenience of tea bags? Or is it perhaps our dedication to sustainable cultivation methods? Whatever the reason(s) may be, if you could take a moment of your time to let us know, we certainly would appreciate it. To reward you for your time, we're going to choose one testimonial each month to receive a free 5lb bag of any of our blends (shipped to you at no cost, too!). By submitting a testimonial, you agree to allow us to use it for promotional material that may include website or newsletter publication. Please submit your entry to: GoWild@yerba-mate.com April winner will be announced next week. You still have some time to submit an entry.
April Special. . . For the month of April, you can purchase a pound of Lemon Myrtle Mate teabags for $25 (regularly $38). Lemon Myrtle is one of the world's best sources of citral, a potent substance found in lemons. Lemon Myrtle contains 32 times more citral than lemons. Legendary for easing joint problems in the Aborigines of the Outback. No promotional code is necessary. As always, free shipping on domestic internet orders over $35. Our storefront is a great place to start!
Browse Past Newsletters...
March 2005 - Everything stops for tea with an Argentine twist
February 2005 - Herbal Tea With a Big Kick! January 2006 - Monthly Special and Honest Food Guide December 2005 - Tea is Hot! November 2005 - Yerba featured on NBC Today Show October 2005 - New Tea Packing Machine September 2005 - Yerba in the Press August 2005 - Mental Clarity & Xanthines July 2005 - Heat Stress & Important Safety Tips June 2005 (Part II) - Shortage of Yerba in South America June 2005 - Aviva Sample & Processing Methods March 2005 - Anticancer Research February 2005 - Aviva Quality Discussion January 2005 - Antioxidants October 2004 - Yerba & Weight Decline August 2004 - River Trip & Matelattes July 2004 - Earn 5lbs w/ Wholesale Initiative June 2004 - Beverage Consumption Rates
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