What is Yerba mate as Dwyane Wade and Barron Trump's beverages hit US market

American celebrities finally appear to be waking up to the popularity of yerba mate, tapping into the ‘clean’ caffeine source to fuel their business dreams. But what actually is the viral ingredient? Experts have had their say.

Energy drinks are a dietary mainstay for many despite various studies suggesting they can impact and disrupt sleep quality and cause severe anxiety and high blood pressure.

If you’re looking to ditch the beverages but don’t want to give up your caffeine fix, a yerba mate drink could be the fridge friend you never actually knew you needed.

Gaining year-on-year traction as a healthier alternative to both energy drinks and coffee, yerba mate is a favourite of celebrities including Argentina’s Lionel Messi, Guardians of the Galaxy actress Zoe Saldaña, and Furiosa’s Anya Taylor-Joy.

Meanwhile, the likes of Dwayne Wade and Barron Trump have gone as far as to create companies around the grocery item.

But what exactly is yerba mate and what are the drinks that the two businessmen have brought to market?

Yerba mate and its benefits

Yerba mate (pronounced yer-bah mah-tay) is a traditional South American green tea alternative made by steeping the leaves of the Ilex paraguariensis plant in hot water.

“Yerba mate has stimulating properties that are generally less potent than those of coffee,” Sandra Avitia, a registered dietitian based in Chicago, told VeryWellMind.

“The effects can vary depending on the type of leaves used and the preparation method, potentially making them comparable to coffee.”

According to Carla Hernandez, a Los Angeles–based dietitian, yerba mate’s health benefits include ‘protecting your heart, fighting free radicals, helping your metabolism, supporting bone and liver health, and boosting your energy with less caffeine’.

Yerba mate may also contain vitamins and minerals, and help you lose weight.

According to Kusmi tea, mate often contains between 0.7 and 2 percent caffeine, or 30-80 mg per cup, slightly less than coffee but more than green tea.

So if youre sensitive to caffeine, you may want to sit this one out.

Barron Trump in the yerba mate market

US President Donald Trump’s youngest son, Barron, is currently in his second year at New York University Stern School of Business.

Whilst studying for his degree, the 20-year-old and some of his peers have launched a new business, SOLLOS.

Designed as a ‘clean, functional, and great-tasting beverage’ brand, SOLLOS is made with an organic Brazilian Yerba Mate base and comes in only one flavour: pineapple and coconut.

“Most brands launch with four flavours, hoping you'll like one of them; we have been obsessing over one flavour until it was flawless,” the SOLLOS team claimed.

Other ingredients in the caffeinated can include: cane sugar, raw honey and monk fruit extract.

According to the website, a case of plant-based energy drinks costs $39

Repeat purchasers can benefit from the business's subscribe and save model, offering 15 percent off bi-monthly orders and 10 percent off deliveries every four weeks.

Dwyane Wade’s new yerba mate drink

In an interview with Food & Wine, three-time NBA champion Wade explained that he worked with Cann to create a drink that could live on the golf course.

The result of the partnership is Cann x Dwyane Wade Half & Half which was released on 4 August.

“Golf has become that place where I slow down, and when the best conversations happen,” he stated. “I wanted something that felt refreshing and part of the conversation.”

The THC-infused drink blended bergamot lemonade with yerba mate iced tea. The flavour sensation is supposed to ‘evoke the nostalgia of the classic half‑and‑half golfers’ drink’.

If you don’t fancy bergamot lemonade, then the non-carbonated yerba mate iced tea also comes in Blood Orange Cardamom and Lemon Lavender flavours, both of which are on the market right now.

“The taste is the first thing that jumps out at you,” the basketball hero stated.

“We just tried to make sure that the tea transitioned right and had that refreshing taste I wanted it to have, more so than this bitter taste right away. Trying to get this perfect mix of a little sweetness in it, but also to let the tea really lead.”

Functional ingredients, such as magnesium, electrolytes and L‑theanine also feature.