OAKLAND and LOS ANGELES, Calif., April 2, 2026 — Yerba Madre, the category leader in yerba mate beverages, is giving away 500,000 cans this Earth Day through the loyalty apps of Circle K, 7-Eleven, Cumberland Farms, RaceTrac, Love’s, ExtraMile, and Jacksons, among others — marking one of the largest Earth Month giveaways the convenience channel has seen from a beverage brand.
The activation runs across select U.S. markets and coincides with two c-store-exclusive product launches: Cherry Sublime at 7-Eleven and Strawberry Kiwi at ExtraMile and Jacksons. Both were developed for younger, high-frequency shoppers who have made convenience the brand’s fastest-growing channel, now accounting for more than 30 percent of total sales.
The campaign uses loyalty apps to drive trial at scale through platforms shoppers already use — while delivering a clear benefit to retail partners: rewarding loyal customers, driving trips, and increasing app engagement.
What makes it distinct is how that trial is structured: each can shared is tied directly to Yerba Madre’s Market Driven Regeneration™ model, where environmental restoration and community impact are built into the supply chain itself.
In practice, that turns a typical giveaway into something more participatory — connecting everyday consumption to measurable outcomes — and brings an Earth Month lens to c-store at scale, a moment the channel has historically not activated in a meaningful way.
“C-store is our fastest-growing channel by a wide margin, driven by younger consumers who read labels and expect more,” said Brian Bousley, Chief Commercial Officer at Yerba Madre. “They’re looking for clean ingredients, functional benefits and great taste. They’re choosing brands that stand for something. Earth Day is a time to lean in. With 500,000 free cans, two exclusive flavors, and our Regenerative Organic Certified® Gold seal on can for the first time, we are turning those values into velocity in convenience.”
The strategy comes as RTD tea declines by approximately $5 million per month (SPINS), while yerba mate gains share. According to Acosta Group shopper data (2026), younger consumers are driving that shift, with growing demand for emerging brands offering functional ingredients and cleaner labels. Yerba Madre holds approximately 89 percent of the RTD mate category and, across the broader RTD tea category, is No. 1 in dollar velocity among the top 10 single-serve brands (SPINS).
The Earth Day activation connects the c-store push to Yerba Madre's broader environmental work during Earth Month, including:
- A $100,000 commitment to the National Parks Conservation Association in support of the America the Beautiful Act, funding infrastructure and restoration across U.S. public lands. Throughout April, Yerba Madre invites its community to urge Congress to pass the Act through NPCA’s action alert, giving supporters a direct line to elected officials to help protect and restore the nation’s parks and public lands.
- A "Drink a Yerba, Plant a Tree" initiative, tying each can purchased to the restoration of one native tree, with a goal of planting 50,000 trees.
The timing also marks a first for the brand's packaging. Yerba Madre Original Unsweetened will be the first SKU to carry the ROC® Gold seal on-can, formalizing a sourcing standard the company has maintained for nearly 30 years. The certification is the highest tier in the ROC framework and requires verified standards across soil health, animal welfare, and farmer and worker fairness.
Founded in 1996 to help restore the Atlantic Forest, Yerba Madre sources regenerative, organic, shade-grown yerba mate in direct partnership with 257 Indigenous and farmer families across Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. The company was one of the original founding B Corps and Purpose Pledge members, and remains the first yerba mate producer to achieve ROC® Gold status.
Consumers can learn more and find participating locations at YerbaMadre.com or follow @yerbamadre on social media. Assets are available here: LINK.
About Yerba Madre
Yerba Madre—formerly Guayakí Yerba Mate—is the 30-year pioneer of regenerative yerba mate [yer-bah ma-tay] and the category leader in ready-to-drink mate beverages across North America. The name Yerba Madre is a tribute to Mother Earth and the ancestral wisdom of the Indigenous communities who have cultivated yerba mate for generations—a reflection of the values the brand has championed since day one.
Headquartered in Oakland and Los Angeles, California, Yerba Madre sources regenerative, organic, shade-grown yerba mate in direct partnership with 257 Indigenous and farmer families across Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Using its Market Driven Regeneration™ model, every purchase helps conserve and restore the Atlantic Forest, support fair trade premiums, and build long-term economic resilience for grower communities.
Yerba Madre is proudly the first yerba mate to be Regenerative Organic Certified®, the first company in South America to reach ROC™ Gold, and the first to establish and roll out a Shade-Grown seal—marking multiple milestones in regenerative agriculture and ethical sourcing. This achievement affirms the brand's leadership in regenerative business. The ROC™ seal debuted on Yerba Madre packaging for Traditional Air-Dried Loose Leaf and Mate Bags in May 2025.
As one of the original founding B Corps and Purpose Pledge members, Yerba Madre is committed to ethical business practices across ten key pillars, including climate action, living wages, circularity, and inclusion. Yerba Madre is available in more than 45,000 retail locations across the U.S. and Canada. To learn more, visit www.YerbaMadre.com.
