Yerba mate consumption is spreading to China, with exports doubling from last year. However, local producers suggest Chinese consumers might be drinking it incorrectly.

Over the years, the consumption of Ilex paraguariensis – known as yerba mate in South America – has spread beyond the borders of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil and is now gaining popularity in China. “Our exports have doubled since last year,” Juan Luis Lorenzo, a local producer involved in the direct exports of yerba mate to China, said. The increase in exports by Lorenzo’s cooperative reflects the broader rise in yerba mate exports from Argentina to China, which have increased by 88 per cent...