Mateína
Dr. Andrew Huberman is giving coffee alternatives a boost.
What’s happening: The Stanford neuroscientist and influential podcaster teamed with investment firm Tiny to acquire a majority stake in yerba mate beverage maker Mateína.
Sold in Canadian Whole Foods locations and online, the partnership will bring Mateína’s RTD drinks, including a sugar-free version co-developed with Huberman, to the US.
New Energy
Yerba mate is an indigenous plant to South America, culturally consumed in tea form for its energy-boosting properties.
With a 12oz can of Mateína containing roughly the same amount of caffeine as coffee, Huberman will promote the brand and its health benefits, including regulating blood sugar and boosting cognition.
Driven by chronic fatigue and a “clean energy” boom, yerba mate is going mainstream.
- After notching $140M in sales in ’22, Guayakí raised $75M last January.
- RTD beverage maker Yerbaé went public last year while raising $4M, including backing from Super Bowl-bound QB Brock Purdy.
New high. While yerba mate drinkers claim a “more balanced” caffeine experience than coffee, others brands want to help avoid the jitters altogether.
Cutting caffeine for functional mushrooms, brands Four Sigmatic, MUD\WTR, and Ireland’s OYL deliver focus and immune support, while Magic Mind adds matcha to its “productivity drink.”
Takeaway: Consumers are eager for any elixir that optimizes their well-being, but brand-building is a science. Adding to endorsements with AG1 and Momentous, Andrew Huberman is cashing in by bottling the purported secrets to his success.
