Materva Explained

Materva
Type:Soft drink
Currentowner:Cawy Bottling Co.
Origin:Cuba
Introduced:United States, Canada, Spain
Previousowners:1920 – Materva Soft Drink Company

Materva is a mate-based soft drink, originally produced and popularized in Cuba prior to the Cuban Revolution. It has been produced in Miami since the 1960s by Cawy Bottling Company.

Drink

Materva is a carbonated drink made from yerba mate, a tea popular in Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. Unlike the somewhat bitter tea-like mate on which it is based, Materva is sweet, with a flavor described as similar to ginger ale[1] or cream soda.[2]

Current production includes a diet version called Diet Materva.[3]

History

The Materva Soft Drink Company was founded in Matanzas, Cuba, in 1920. Materva became known as a "famous Cuban brand"[4] and advertising included celebrity endorsements that touted the drink's energizing properties.[5] [6]

During the Cuban Revolution, the Materva bottling plant was targeted for strikes by revolutionaries, along with the Coca-Cola and Pepsi bottling plants in the country.[7] Materva was produced and sold in Cuba until 1960 when it was nationalized along with other private industry. It is no longer produced in Cuba.[8]

The Cawy Bottling Company of Miami was founded to produce the Cawy lemon-lime soda that had been popular in Cuba. The company began producing Materva in the United States in the 1960s in an attempt to diversify after the founder of the company realized that there were many large American companies already competing with lemon-lime drinks.[9] [10]

Significance in Cuban and Miami culture

Materva has been described as a part of the "standard Cuban pantry",[11] and as "the old standby Cuban soda".[12] Because of its significance as a popular drink in Cuba prior to the Revolution, it is often cited as a source of "shared memories" and "nostalgia" of pre-Revolutionary Cuba by Cubans who live in the United States.[13] [14] [15]

In Miami, politicians use the drink to symbolize Cuban-ness, such as when a congressional candidate told local media in 2010 that he had spoken about Materva to President Obama during a presidential visit to the city.[16] Travel books also often recommend the drink to visitors to Miami.[17] [18] In 2002, Materva was given the "Best Local Soft Drink" award by the Miami New Times.[19]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Best Cuban and Latin American Beverage Guide. Three Guys from Miami. 12 January 2014.
  2. Book: Caicedo, Harry. Conflicting Loyalties. 2004-04-01. iUniverse. 9780595311576. 14. en. 2015-05-12.
  3. Web site: Diet Materva. Cawy Bottling Co.. 2018-05-15.
  4. Book: Cuban Miami. registration. Rutgers University Press. 2000. 2015-05-12. 9780813527802. en. Robert M.. Levine. Moisés. Asís. 77.
  5. Web site: Sokol. Brett. Havana's Real-World Don Draper. Ocean Drive. 12 January 2014.
  6. Web site: Quiroga. Alberto. And now a word from our sponsors. Havana- May 1950-Nov 1960. 18 January 2014.
  7. Book: Julia, Sweig. Inside the Cuban Revolution: Fidel Castro and the Urban Underground. 2002. Harvard University Press. 9780674044197. 134.
  8. Book: Torre, Miguel A. De La. La Lucha for Cuba: Religion and Politics on the Streets of Miami. University of California Press. 2003-09-10. 9780520930100. en.
  9. News: Roth . Daniel Shoer . A Cuban who popularized Materva and Jupina in the US passes (tr.) . 12 January 2014 . El Nuevo Herald . March 20, 2011 .
  10. Book: Cubans, an Epic Journey: The Struggle of Exiles for Truth and Freedom. https://books.google.com/books?id=k186e30BHmgC. Reedy Press LLC. 2012-01-20. 2015-05-12. 9781935806202. en. Sam. Verdeja. Guillermo. Martinez. 18, "Entrepreneurs: The Pioneers". In 1962, Vicente Cossio relaunched the Cawy brands in the U.S. ... eventually expanding its offerings to include ... Materva, a yerba mate soda..
  11. Book: Roque, Raquel Rábade. The Cuban Kitchen. Alfred A. Knopf. 2011. 2015-05-12. 9780375711961. en. 6.
  12. Book: Motz, George. Hamburger America. 2011. Running Press. 9780762442348.
  13. News: Wong. Samantha. Materva: Un Buchito de Cuba. 2020-09-10. Johnson and Wales: Student Food Writing . 8 (PDF p. 11) . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140113000105/https://www.jwu.edu/uploadedFiles/Documents/Academics/studentwork/JWUStuFoodWritingNMI.pdf . 2014-01-13.
  14. News: Navarette. William. Una Habana de otros tiempos. 12 January 2014. El Nuevo Herald. December 14, 2013. tr.: "To read [this book] is to remember brands of products manufactured in Cuba [list including Materva] and many others that bring us the smells of great memories to those who are older.".
  15. Book: Maingot, Anthony. Miami: A Cultural History. Interlink Publishing. 2014-07-30. 9781623710613. en.
  16. News: Pardo. Bernadette. Materva Con Frita. 12 January 2014. El Nuevo Herald. October 15, 2010.
  17. [Petit Futé]
  18. Book: Schmidt, Gretchen. Night + Day Miami. 2006. AS Davis Media Group. 9780977624508. 20.
  19. Web site: Best Local Soft Drink 2002. Miami New times. 12 January 2014.

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