Matte Leão facts for kids

Matte Leão (which means "Lion Mate" in English) is a popular Brazilian brand of tea and other drinks. It is now owned by The Coca-Cola Company. The word Matte is an old way to spell mate, which is a special herb used to make these drinks. Matte Leão makes over 100 different kinds of drinks!

History of Matte Leão

The Start of Mate Drinks

The Guarani people were the first to use the leaves of a plant called Ilex paraguariensis, also known as yerba mate. This plant grew naturally in southern Brazil. People started selling this herb widely after the 1600s.

Founding the Company

On May 8, 1901, in Paraná, a man named Agostinho Ermelino de Leão Júnior started the St. Augustine Factory. This factory began a new way of preparing mate. At first, the company exported mate to countries like Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile.

When Agostinho Leão Júnior passed away in 1908, his wife, Maria Clara, took over the business. In 1912, a fire destroyed the factory, so the company moved to Curitiba. After some time, the company recovered. By the early 1920s, they were exporting up to 5,000 tons of mate each year!

Growth and Innovation

In 1926, the Leão company built new facilities that had a railway connection. This helped them send their products to the port of Paranaguá, from where they were exported to Montevideo and Buenos Aires.

Another fire in 1930 burned down the new factory. But the company kept going! In the 1930s, Leão Júnior & Co. made the first film to promote their products. This helped them sell more mate.

New Products and Ideas

In 1938, the company noticed that people liked to drink mate cold. They also saw that people enjoyed mate that was "toasted" (roasted). So, they launched "Matte Leão Toast" in Brazil. They promoted it with a lighted boat that sailed along the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, saying, "Already burned, use and abuse!" After this, the company decided to focus only on mate products.

In the 1950s, iced mate was very popular on the hot beaches of Rio de Janeiro. Street vendors sold homemade iced mate from drums. Seeing this, Matte Leão launched "Matte Leão Iced Infusion," which was the first ready-to-drink mate.

Expanding the Product Line

By 1969, the company released Matte Leão in a concentrated powder form in a bottle. In 1973, they created mate in tea bags. These bags came in natural lemon and toasted mate flavors. You could make them instantly by adding hot or cold water.

In 1983, Matte Leão started selling other types of herbal teas. These included Chamomile, Lemon Grass, Grass Candy, Boldo, and Mint flavors. In the summer of 1987, they launched ready-to-drink mate in 300ml cups. These were very popular, especially on the beaches of Rio.

Modern Times

In 2002, a new factory opened in Rio de Janeiro. This allowed them to make different sizes of iced mate drinks, like 330ml, 500ml, 1.5 liters, and the 300ml cups.

In 2004, Leão created new "functional" teas. These were special blends of herbs and flavors for different needs. For example, "Boa Noite" (Good Night) was for relaxation. "Silvestre" had flavors of strawberry and raspberry. "Orchard" mixed peach, apple, and cherry. "Tropical" combined mango, pineapple, and banana. They also added new mate flavors like lemon, peach, and guaraná.

In 2006, the company launched a zero-calorie Green Tea in Brazil that was ready to drink. They also offered dry teas like flavored green teas, black tea with cinnamon, and a Winter Line with chocolate and caramel mate flavors.

The success of Matte Leão caught the attention of The Coca-Cola Company, which bought the company in early 2007. In the same year, Matte Leão introduced "Green Tea Spree," Brazil's first lightly carbonated, low-calorie green tea with lemon. The newest product, launched in 2009, was "Lion Concentrate Matte." This concentrate had a homemade taste and was made for people who enjoy drinking mate often.

Images for kids

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  A bottle of Matte Leão sold as an iced tea.

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  A bag of Matte Leão