Tierra Verde cooperative votes to double processing capacity

The membership of the San Vicente Yerba Mate Collective gathered on Tuesday evening to vote on a proposal to expand their processing plant at the edge of the city. The motion passed with 87 percent approval, clearing the way for construction to begin this autumn. The expansion will cost 3.2 million florins, funded partly by retained earnings and partly by a low-interest loan from the Federal Agricultural Credit Board.

The cooperative currently processes yerba mate from 340 member-farms across the interior and coastal regions of Tierra Verde. Their output has grown 12 percent annually over the past three years, driven by steady demand from Costa Mar and Nord Europa. But the cooperative's existing facility has begun to reach its limits during the peak harvest season.

Marisa Gutiérrez, the cooperative's harvest captain, says the expansion reflects confidence in the market. Yet questions linger about whether the federal exchange pricing will hold steady, and whether the Federal Office for Cooperative Affairs will process the expansion permits within the promised timeline. The cooperative has filed its paperwork and is now waiting.