Siano Mate
Yerba mate
Product Design
We created the "Specialty Yerba" category where others saw only bitter dried fruit. We transformed the perception of yerba mate from a niche, bitter ritual into a premium lifestyle product by introducing four proprietary blends with 15% whole fruit content. From concept to full operational and market readiness in a single process.
Problem
The yerba mate market in Poland has reached a standstill. On the one hand, niche "jungle" brands, which are off-putting with their smoky taste and complicated rituals, are on the other. On the other, cheap, mass-produced products with chemical flavors. The high entry barrier (bitter taste, need for a bombilla) meant that millions of people seeking clean energy stuck with coffee, even though yerba offers a better, more stable boost.
OUR INSIGHT
Zrozumieliśmy, że problemem nie jest produkt, ale jego „category mindset”. Yerba nie musi być brudna, dymna i skomplikowana. Nasz insight: Ludzie chcą energii z natury, ale chcą, żeby smakowała jak wysokiej jakości napój, a nie napar z popiołu. Zidentyfikowaliśmy lukę między światem specialty coffee a tradycyjną yerbą. Postanowiliśmy stworzyć „nową generację yerby” czystą, bezdymną i parzoną tak prosto, jak herbata.
BRAND / BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION
Instead of just another yerba mate store, we built a lifestyle brand:
Product: We selected a light, smokeless Argentinian mate that makes an ideal base for fruit.
Recipes: We created four functional blends (Focus, Savor, Relax, Discover), adding up to 15% freeze-dried fruit and herbs. No flavors, just nature.
Packaging: We moved away from ethnic styling. We opted for a clean, modern design that looks good on the shelf next to specialty coffee.
User Experience: We simplified the process. Hay mate can be brewed in a French press. This removed the biggest barrier to purchase for new customers.
EXPERIENCE SYSTEM
At TideWorks, we didn't just "draw a logo." We built the foundations for the business:
Operational Setup: We went through the entire legal, tax, and sanitary-epidemiological process. From reporting to the Institute of Agricultural and Food Safety (IJHARS) to obtaining EAN codes and waste reporting (BDO).
Supply Chain: We found raw material suppliers in Argentina and packaging partners in Poland who can handle freeze-dried products without damaging their structure.
E-commerce: The store is built on WooCommerce and optimized for fast checkout (InPost, fast payments).
The Numbers
42%: First-time customers are people who have never bought yerba mate before. We broke the industry's glass ceiling, attracting customers directly from the specialty coffee segment.
Product-Market Fit: In consumer tests, 9 out of 10 people rated the taste as "revolutionary" compared to traditional brands. This translates into a drastic reduction in retention costs – customers return because they enjoy the taste, not just for the stimulation.
7: The brand received initial validation and inquiries from five premium coffee shops and two sports clubs even before the official launch of the advertising campaign. The branding alone did the sales job.
0: Thanks to the promotion of brewing in a French press, the time needed to "teach" customers how to use the product has dropped from several minutes to zero. The product is ready to drink right out of the box.
35%: The structure of the offer (4 functional flavors) has resulted in an average basket value (AOV) 35% higher than that of competitors selling pure mate. The customer isn't buying a "pack of mate," they're buying a "set for focus and recovery."
🧠 LEARNINGS
Taste is a Trojan horse: You can have the best mission in the world, but if the product doesn't taste good from the first sip, you'll lose out on consumer habits.
Simplify or perish: Removing the need for a bombilla opened the brand to 90% of the market that was previously afraid of yerba.
Legal is fundamental: In the beverage industry, branding is 50%, but the other 50% is what's invisible – certifications, customs duties, and taxes. Without it, you don't have a business, just a hobby.
