It’s been almost a century since Don Víctor Navajas Centeno had a vision: Using the lands of “Las Marías”, an estate in the Argentine province of Corrientes, to plant his first “Yerbal” (yerba mate plantation), perhaps inspired by the nearby Paraná jungle where the Guarani first began to produce and drink mate tea.
Don Victor was able to successfully unite the land with the town and its people in for this venture, which after almost a century of hard work, became the green paradise that Establecimiento Las Marías is today.
After establishing his agricultural business in Las Marías and creating the most southern yerba mate plantations in the world, Don Víctor set a new goal for himself: Taking over the entire process of manufacturing yerba mate, from seed to packaging, in order to control and guarantee the best quality from the start.
This is how in 1940, Yerba Mate Taragüi hit the market, quickly positioning itself at the forefront of the industry. Since then, Establecimiento Las Marías stands out as the most important yerba mate producer in the world, as well as an important source of employment and social services in the region.
Today, Las Marías represents a seal of quality and sustainability with both traditional and innovative products for the large community of Mate drinkers: from the classic presentation to mate tea-bags, soft grinding, low-dust, fruit-flavored; and even a ready-to-drink mate kit.
More than 40 thousand tourists visit Las Marías every year. This lush nature reserve combines industry and nature in thousands of hectares of reddish lands, green yerba mate plantations and large Eucalyptus and pine forests. It is a very interesting excursion where you can admire the peaceful coexistence of the community and the industry with the natural ecosystem including native animals, lagoons and parks.
Las Marías offers a free walking tour where the visitor gets to know the cultural history of yerba mate, taste different mate infusions and go inside the factory to learn about the manufacturing and packaging process. There are also more extensive tours that visit every space in detail; and even offer the possibility of enjoying one of the best culinary offers in the region: the Taragüi Club.