Entrepreneurial Activism

Photo by Terry_Lea

I’ll admit it. I am addicted to caffeine.

Throughout the day you’ll either see me chugging coffee, pounding espresso shots, swallowing caffeine pills, or gulping energy drinks to get myself through the day and keep up with the massive amount of activities I plan on a weekly basis.

I admit its not a terribly healthy lifestyle but I’m addicted to being energized and alert at every hour of the day.

A couple months ago I tried this tea called Yerba Mate produced by the company Guyakai who was demoing at this event Focus the Nation I was attending. I had no idea what Yerba Mate was but here is how Guyakai explains it:

Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is a small tree native to the subtropical Atlantic forests of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. This evergreen member of the holly family was introduced to modern civilizations by the indigenous Guarani of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. An infusion, brewed from the dried leaves and stems of the tree, is consumed by millions of South Americans as a healthful alternative to coffee. Deemed “The Drink of the Gods” by many indigenous groups in South America and “the green gold of the Indios” by Europeans, yerba mate possesses a multitude of health benefits that have begun to attract the attention of American scientists and consumers.

I was warned that the tea would “really wake me up” and that it was “much stronger than coffee” but I didn’t believe it. I normally drink tons of coffee there was no way that this tea would have that much of an effect on me.

Photo by leila-anne

After I drank my first bottle of Yerba Mate I had to run back to my class that I was missing (whoops) which was by far the most boring class I have ever taken in my 4 years at being at Cal Poly. A typical day in that class would be spent playing tic-tac-toe and hangman with the hot girl that sat next to me, catching up on emails, and occasionally improving my artistic skills. Basically a huge waste of my time.

However the day I drank Yerba Mate before that class in 20 minutes I could feel a definite difference. I was awake, alert, energized, and ready to do something! I started planning out my schedule for the week, brainstorming a new business, writing a proposal for a consulting gig, and writing a speech for the business plan competition. I felt amazing and productive.

Since then I pretty much exclusively drink Yerba Mate if given the choice and I highly prefer it over energy drinks and coffee. In addition to it tasting great, making me feel great, and keeping me awake Guyakai also uses all fair trade indigenous farmers, they grow their tea in-conjunction with the rain forest and plant more rain forest as they expand, and the company was started by Cal Poly Grads!