Is this a fair trade product? Thanks

This product is not fair trade certified. The fair trade money trail shows that a lot of the money from fair trade products does not go back to the farming communities they claim to help. Because of this, we've started our own program called Just Fair where we contribute to causes that positively impact some of the local populations from which we source our products. We haven’t found a charity to partner with in in South America yet but are certainly open to suggestions!

How is this harvested?

J. Raifsnider, this should help you better understand the survival process. The branches fall through the leaping flames of a fire so that the yerba mate leaves do not come in contact with the dense smoke that results in traditional wood fires. This process heats the surface of the leaf to 400°C for fractions of a second, breaking a thin film of protective enzymes that coats the surface of the leaf. These enzymes, peroxidase and polifenoloxidase would otherwise hinder the evaporation of the water content and cause oxidation in the leaves during the remaining drying process, rendering it useless. This process also removes microorganisms that could otherwise cause fermentation and contamination in the product. The process does not superheat the inner part of the yerba mate leaf, leaving the nutritional properties intact.

Organic Yerba Mate

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