Brazil is one of the world's largest producers and consumers of yerba mate. Native to its southern subtropical forest, the plant was first cultivated by the indigenous Guarani people. Today it remains central to Brazilian culture — traditionally enjoyed as chimarrão, a hot brew shared from a gourd and straw.

Paraguay is the birthplace of yerba mate, where the Indigenous Guarani first discovered the plant and named it. Here it's most often enjoyed as terere - an ice-cold brew steeped with herbs and sipped through a gourd in the country's tropical heat. More than a drink, it's a national pastime.