Into the Woods at Oregon Country Fair

Into the Woods at Oregon Country Fair

By Michael Gervais
Into the Woods at Oregon Country Fair

Into the Woods at Oregon Country Fair

By Michael Gervais

Into the Woods at Oregon Country Fair

Hey everyone, Niko and Michael here.

When we started planning the official launch of Yerba Nº 1, we knew we didn't want to take a standard approach. We’ve spent 25 years drinking loose-leaf maté together, and for us, this plant has always been about deep presence, real connection, and community. So, we decided to head to the one place in the Pacific Northwest where those values are practically a religion: the Oregon Country Fair.

Now, we had two very different perspectives going into those woods. Niko is a seasoned veteran who has been coming to the fair for years, knowing every twist and turn of the dusty paths. For Michael, this was his absolute first time stepping into the magic. For a first-timer, Oregon Country Fair is a beautiful shock to the system. It’s a temporary city of art, towering trees, and pure, unfiltered expression. Everything immediately turns high-definition.

Instead of setting up a booth at the fair, we decided to directly support the people who actually build the fair. The crew, the stagehands, the performers, and the artists. They are the ultimate builders and doers, working grueling hours in the summer heat to make sure the magic runs smoothly.

Our goal? Give them the clean, sustained energy they needed to work hard and still have the stamina to actually enjoy the festival they were building.

The First of Its Kind

Traditional maté is a ritual we love, but you can’t exactly carry a wooden gourd, a metal straw, and a thermos of water while rigging a stage or running a soundboard.

That is exactly why we built Yerba Nº 1.

We wanted to create the first-of-its-kind yerba maté stick pack, the first one engineered to go head-to-head with a ready-to-drink can, matching that full-bodied, authentic experience of loose-leaf maté. Every single stick uses premium, organic, unsmoked yerba maté, delivering 200mg of natural caffeine with only 2g of sugar and zero nonsense.

We spent the weekend handing out sticks and pouches of Mango, Mint and Lemonade Yerba Nº 1 to the crew stages and backstage areas. Watching tired stagehands take that first sip, take a deep breath, and feel that clean lift and sharp focus kick in was the coolest validation we could have asked for.

Into the Woods at Oregon Country Fair

Our Thursday Highlight: The Farce Family & Fonda Farce

On Thursday, we got to support the Farce Family on the Main Stage. If you know anything about PNW drag, you know they are absolute legends. They put on a massive, boundary-pushing queer extravaganza of drag and performance that left us completely speechless.

Getting to see the iconic Fonda Farce, who is an absolute force of nature both inside those woods and out in the world, and hearing them give Yerba Nº 1 a shoutout on the mic during the performance was the ultimate cherry on top of an incredible first day.

Art, Community, and Respecting the Land

When we weren't mixing maté, we were just trying to soak in the incredible community around us. We got to collaborate and make art with Angela Dawn, an iconic PNW photographer who is an absolute staple at the fair.

We witnessed a beautiful bubble dome wedding, saw the world-famous drag queen Courtney Act with Rizzo, and listened to some of the most mind-blowing open-mic artistry we’ve ever heard.

We also spent time learning about the history of the beautiful land we were gathering on. For thousands of years, these banks along the Long Tom River served as ceremonial grounds for the indigenous Kalapuya people (specifically the Tsanchiifin band). Taking a moment to respect the origins of the land grounded us, reminding us that we are guests on a very special piece of earth.

Into the Woods at Oregon Country Fair
Into the Woods at Oregon Country Fair

Bringing the Energy Home

Now that the fair is over, the dust has settled, and we’re back home, it's been exciting to see so many people from Oregon Country Fair making yerba maté part of their everyday routines.. One of the best parts of introducing Yerba Nº 1 in person was hearing how differently everyone planned to use it. Some were looking for a better desk-side ritual to power through long workdays, while others were packing it for camping trips, hikes, road trips, and festival weekends. That flexibility is exactly what inspired us to create it in the first place.

Our goal has always been simple: make the clean, focused energy of yerba maté easy to take anywhere, without sacrificing quality or convenience.

If we met you at OCF, thank you for stopping by and spending time with us. And if you're just discovering Yerba Nº 1 now, welcome, we're glad you're here and can't wait to be part of your next adventure.

With love and gratitude,

Niko & Michael

Founders, Yerba Nº 1

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