The Oñoiru Agroecological Agriculture Association, which brings together more than 150 families of small rural producers from the departments of Itapúa and Caazapá, announced it will open a commercial office in Warsaw, Poland, in June, aiming to bring 100% organic Paraguayan yerba mate to over 30 European Union countries.
The project is described by the organization as a significant step for the country's family farming sector and plans not only to export traditional yerba mate but also to introduce innovative formats tailored to European tastes, such as yerba mate tea, ready-to-drink cold beverages, and flavored versions combining mint and lemon, as well as mint with boldo.
Pedro Vega, the organization's general manager, highlighted the significance of the agreement signed with a European commercial partner. "This June, we will launch an Oñoiru-branded yerba mate store in Warsaw, Poland, to serve the entire European Union," he said. According to published reports, the farmers who founded the association dreamed of producing organically, industrializing the raw material, and seeing trucks and containers leaving directly from their own factory. "Today, they are living that dream," he reported.
The international expansion was made possible with support from the National Government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), via the Agricultural Market Insertion Project (PIMA). The program allocated more than 2.232 million guaraníes to modernize the association's industrial plant, install a smoke-free ecological drying facility, build optimized production areas, and package products to meet the sanitary and quality standards required by international markets.
Currently, Oñoiru sells between 200,000 and 230,000 kilograms of yerba mate annually in the domestic market. Starting in June, volume is expected to increase through a partnership with the Nuestra Casa network, operated by the company Xplast, which will distribute the new flavored products to more than 90 points of sale throughout Paraguay.
Paraguay is one of the world's largest yerba mate producers, with exports that have grown in recent years. The opening of a commercial office in Poland represents an attempt to directly access the European market, which has shown increasing interest in organic and fair-trade products.