Dr. Huberman's Scientific Endorsement Brings Yerba Mate Mainstream: How Mateina is Disrupting the U.S. Energy Drink Market

The Science Behind the Buzz

Dr. Andrew Huberman, the neuroscientist and Stanford professor whose Huberman Lab podcast has become one of the world’s top shows, just made an unexpected move into the beverage world. He’s backing Mateina, a Canadian-born yerba mate brand that’s now making its U.S. debut with a sugar-free formula he personally helped develop. This isn’t just a celebrity endorsement—it’s a scientist validating what he’s been preaching for years: yerba mate is a superior caffeine source.

For over 30 years, Huberman has relied on yerba mate instead of coffee. His reasoning? The antioxidant profile is exceptional, it supports blood sugar regulation, and emerging research suggests potential neuroprotective effects. Now he’s translating that conviction into a product available on drinkMateina.com. The new sugar-free cold-pressed version addresses one of yerba mate’s biggest market gaps: health-conscious consumers want the benefits without the sugar.

Why This Matters for the Energy Drink Category

Yerba mate has been trapped in a niche for decades while coffee and energy drinks dominate conversations. Mateina, founded in 2017 by Nicolas Beaupré and Elodie Simard, identified the gap early: the market was flooded with either high-sugar yerba mate or conventional options missing the authentic organic certification. They sourced directly from fourth-generation family farms in Misiones, Argentina, creating a product line that combines sustainability with health benefits.

The product range spans from lightly sweetened cold beverages (original lemon, peach passion, grapefruit guava flavors) to loose leaf teas and the new sugar-free option. What sets this apart is the supply chain story—this isn’t commodity sourcing. Every bottle connects to specific farming families committed to sustainable practices.

The Money Behind the Movement

Enter Tiny, a Canadian investment company backing the expansion through its Tiny Fund I, LP partnership. Andrew Wilkinson, Tiny’s co-founder, sees Mateina filling a void in the U.S. health beverage market where consumers increasingly reject the conventional energy drink playbook. The combination of Huberman’s credibility (someone who actually uses and researches the product) plus the product’s legitimate nutritional positioning creates a rare market alignment.

Huberman himself frames it plainly: yerba mate delivers genuine cognitive and physiological benefits—enhanced mental clarity, sustained energy without crashes, and the antioxidant advantage. This isn’t marketing speak; it’s a researcher endorsing something he’s integrated into his own protocol for decades.

The U.S. Play

The Canadian market already knows Mateina—it’s stocked in retailers like Whole Foods. The U.S. launch represents the real test. Success here proves whether yerba mate can transition from health-food fringes to mainstream consumption the way matcha and kombucha did in previous years. With Huberman’s platform (his podcast frequently ranks #1 in science and health categories) and Tiny’s capital behind it, Mateina isn’t entering quietly.

The timing is strategic: American consumers are increasingly fatigued by artificial energy drinks and sugar-loaded sodas. They’re searching for alternatives with actual scientific credibility. Huberman’s involvement provides exactly that—not an influencer paid to promote something, but a tenured Stanford neuroscientist whose reputation depends on honest communication.

What Comes Next

Mateina’s founders continue operating the business independently while leveraging this partnership. The immediate focus is proving that the U.S. market is ready for authentic, sustainably sourced yerba mate backed by legitimate science. If they succeed, they’re potentially creating a new category entry that competes with both energy drinks and premium coffee—all with an ingredient that’s been used for centuries but finally has modern scientific validation attached.

For anyone watching the functional beverage space, this is a test case worth monitoring: can genuine product benefits and authentic scientific endorsement outpace pure marketing in category creation?