We meet Angel Horrisberger, a former employee of the Piporé Yerba Mate Cooperative, who is still considered an indispensable asset for the development and success of this renowned Argentine yerba mate brand.
“I was born almost 78 years ago here in Misiones. My grandfather was almost Argentine because he came from Switzerland at the age of 2. I have two sons who are accountants, and my wife retired as a teacher and principal of a primary school.”
For the Cooperative, the work that Ángel still does is invaluable. So much so that, in recognition, the museum where he warmly welcomed us has a room named in his honor.
“This was rebuilt over 12 years ago. It was my job to gather the machines from the trash, refurbish them, and reinstall them. The board of directors was so pleased that they honored me by naming this room behind me after me.”
Located in the department of San Ignacio in the Argentine province of Misiones, Santo Pipó is the birthplace of the renowned Piporé yerba mate. Angel explains that in Guaraní, “pi” means foot, “po” means hands, and “re” means traces. Thus, Piporé would mean “traces of feet and hands,” alluding to the legend of a Guaraní chief who managed to escape an attack and reach the Jesuits who gave him asylum.
“Piporé as a Cooperative is 91 years old and evolved from what are now called corporations, which were a society of colonists, mostly from Switzerland. They brought the idea of cooperativism from Europe, so from the start, it was organized as a Cooperative.”
Yerba Mate Producers of Santo Pipó is a yerba mate farmers’ Cooperative that emerged in 1930 thanks to a group of Swiss immigrants who settled in that locality. In its beginnings, the Cooperative processed yerba for other brands, but in 1960, it decided to create Piporé and market it in Argentina and abroad. Currently, Piporé yerba is one of the most consumed brands in our country—especially in Patagonia—and is also very popular in countries like Syria and Lebanon.
“Almost half of the production goes to Arab countries. They drink mate just like we do but with one difference: each drinker has their own mate gourd and straw, they don’t share. In Syria and Lebanon, it is one of the most consumed yerbas, just like in Patagonia.”
“Yerba is considered food by the World Health Organization because of the number of nutritional elements it contains. The gaucho drank mate and ate meat; you couldn’t say he was weak. Yerba is a nutritious element. The nutritional information on the packages now gives an idea of its importance.”
Among the benefits that yerba mate consumption provides, it can be noted that it improves brain activity, is an antioxidant, energizing, and diuretic, and also provides calcium, vitamins, and minerals. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, it has become the quintessential companion of every Argentine.
Complete original note in “Especiales Red 43” written by Lelia Castro