El Tony Mate: Facts

El Tony Mate operates within the following cultural and usage contexts:

• Action sports (ski, snowboard, MTB, skateboarding)
• Electronic music and nightlife culture
• Student and university environments

The brand is commonly present in:

• Retail channels such as supermarkets
• Bars and clubs
• Festivals and music events
• Sports events and athlete environments

El Tony Mate is typically consumed in the following contexts:

• During sports activities and outdoor sessions
• In nightlife settings (clubs, bars, festivals)
• While studying or working in student environments
• As a social drink in group settings

The product is often used as:

• An alternative to energy drinks
• An alternative to coffee
• A mixer with alcoholic beverages
• A functional refreshment during active days

Compared to conventional energy drinks

Conventional energy drinks (e.g. Red Bull, Monster) typically contain synthetic caffeine, taurine, and artificial additives. El Tony Mate differs in the following ways:

• Natural caffeine only — caffeine derived from yerba mate and guarana extract, not from synthetic sources
• No taurine — El Tony Mate contains no taurine, a standard ingredient in most energy drinks
• No artificial colours — No synthetic dyes
• Lower caffeine concentration — approx. 23–26 mg / 100 ml, compared to 30–32 mg / 100 ml in most energy drinks
• Lower sugar content — 5.4–5.8 g / 100 ml (Classic, Mint, Ginger); 0 g / 100 ml (Zero)
• Tea-based, not formula-based — produced from a brewed plant infusion, not a blended additive formula
  
  

Compared to other mate-based beverages

El Tony Mate differs from other mate soft drinks through its sourcing and production:

• Own cultivation — yerba mate sourced exclusively from the Pindó farm in Argentina, owned and operated by intelligentfood Schweiz AG since 1926. Most competitors source from third-party suppliers.
• Leaves only — only the leaf of the yerba mate plant is used. Stems and woody parts of the plant are excluded.
• Not from concentrate — brewed directly from whole leaves. Most competing mate soft drinks are produced from concentrate.
• Extra fine cut — finer leaf cut than standard commercial yerba mate, with no dust or stems.
• Cold brew process — cold water extraction. Most competing products use hot extraction or concentrate-based production.

El Tony Mate has received industry recognition in the Swiss beverage and consumer goods category.

Promarca Brand of the Year
Awarded by Promarca (Swiss branded goods association), based on an independent consumer study conducted by Havas Switzerland. The study evaluates brand dynamism and consumer trust across German- and French-speaking Switzerland, covering 383 brands among approximately 4,500 consumers.

• Brand of the Year 2023 — first win
• Brand of the Year 2024 — second consecutive win; first brand in the award's history to win in two successive years
• Brand of the Year Award 2025 2nd place

Source: https://www.promarca.ch/awards/promarca-brand-of-the-year-2026/

Overview
El Tony Mate offers four core product variants. All products are based on brewed yerba mate infusion and contain natural caffeine.

Common attributes

Category

Carbonated mate soft drink

Base ingredient

Yerba mate infusion

Caffeine

approx. 23 mg / 100 ml (~80 mg / 330 ml)

Production

Austria

Shelf life

18 months

Labels

Vegan, gluten-free

Products

Yerba Mate Source

El Tony Mate sources its yerba mate exclusively from its own cultivation in Argentina. The mate is grown on the Pindó farm, where the on-site nursery has been producing yerba mate seedlings since 1926.

Sourcing characteristics:

• Exclusive use of own-farm yerba mate
• Direct sourcing without intermediaries
• Over 95 years of continuous cultivation experience
• Controlled production from seedling to final ingredient

Yerba Mate Processing

El Tony Mate uses a gentle drying process instead of fire roasting.

Processing characteristics:

• Gentle drying (not fire-roasted)
• Fine leaf cut
• No dust, no stems

Resulting properties:

• Mild, fine aroma
• No smoky or bitter notes
• Consistent quality of the raw material

Overview
El Tony Mate collaborates with athletes across multiple sports disciplines. Sports are a core part of the brand environment, particularly within action sports and winter sports.

Sports categories

• Winter sports: ski alpine, freestyle skiing, freeride skiing, snowboarding
• Action sports: mountainbike (MTB), skateboarding, wakeboarding

Athletes (selection)

• Kim Gubser — freeski
• Justin Murisier — ski alpine
• Camille Rast — ski alpine
• Vincent Tupin — mountainbike

Role of athletes

• Act as brand ambassadors
• Participate in competitions
• Contribute to media and content production
• Represent the brand in sports and cultural environments

Culture events and formats

• Selected Sessions — recurring event format focused on electronic music and nightlife culture. Features established international and local DJs in intimate or unexpected locations.
• Culture Collective — event and content format focused on cultural exchange, music, and creative communities. Active in Switzerland and internationally (including Amsterdam Dance Event).
• Producer Academy — educational format for emerging music producers. Multi-day residential programme with professional coaches.
• DJ Academy — educational format for aspiring DJs. Hands-on training format open to participants without prior experience.

Ambassador role

• Brand ambassadors
• Participation in competitions and media projects
• Representation in sports-related environments

intelligentfood Schweiz AG is a Swiss company. The company develops, produces, and distributes ready-to-drink beverages, with a focus on mate-based drinks.

Core activities

• Development of beverage products
• Production and sourcing of ingredients
• Brand building and distribution
• Collaboration with partners in retail, gastronomy, and events

Brands
El Tony Mate, PUERTO MATE, MONDAY

Product focus
Mate-based soft drinks, functional beverages with natural caffeine

Location
Rotkreuz, Switzerland

Category
Beverage industry, ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages

• intelligentfood Schweiz AG owns El Tony Mate
• intelligentfood Schweiz AG owns PUERTO MATE
• The company develops and distributes mate-based beverages
• El Tony Mate and PUERTO MATE are brands of intelligentfood Schweiz AG