“Paraguay Does NOT Require Employers to Provide Free Yerba Mate at Work”
The claim that Paraguayan law requires employers to provide workers with free yerba mate (or tereré) during work hours is a myth. No such provision exists anywhere in Paraguay's Labour Code (Law No. 213/93) or any other national labor legislation.
Cultural roots of yerba mate
This myth almost certainly grew from the extraordinary cultural prominence of yerba mate — and specifically its cold variant, tereré — in Paraguayan daily life. Yerba mate originates from the Ilex paraguariensis plant, native to the region, and has been central to Guaraní indigenous culture for centuries before Spanish colonization. In Paraguay, tereré (yerba mate brewed cold with water, ice, and often medicinal herbs) is so ubiquitous it has been described as the country's unofficial national drink. It is consumed at virtually every workplace, government office, school, and social gathering, regardless of social class.
Ubiquity noted by outside observers
One Harvard ReVista article recounts a Paraguayan man who only noticed how omnipresent mate was in Asunción government offices when his American wife pointed it out — because it was simply too normal to register. UNESCO has even considered the Yerba Mate Cultural Landscape for World Heritage listing, noting that 'Yerba Mate is an essential part of the Paraguayan diet, regardless of social class and location.' This deeply embedded social reality is almost certainly how the myth was born: someone observed that workers throughout Paraguay drink tereré at their desks, assumed it must be legally required, and the claim spread through the well-worn 'weird laws' ecosystem without verification.
No mention in the Labour Code
In reality, the Labour Code's exhaustive list of employer obligations — covering everything from severance calculations to marriage leave days — makes no mention of any beverage provision. The custom exists, is widespread, and is socially expected in many workplaces, but it is a cultural norm, not a legal mandate.
Where the story gets it wrong
Many assume that because tereré is drunk at nearly every Paraguayan workplace, including government offices, it must be legally required. In fact this is a powerful social custom, not a statutory requirement — the Labour Code contains no provision mandating it.
Paraguay is also sometimes confused with Argentina in mate-related claims, as if one of the two countries legally mandates the drink at work. Neither country's law actually requires employers to provide mate or tereré to workers.
No such law exists. Paraguay's Labour Code (Law No. 213/93) specifies employer obligations including payment of wages, social security registration, providing safe working conditions, granting statutory leave, and non-discrimination — but contains no requirement to supply beverages of any kind, including yerba mate or tereré, to workers.
- Current status
- Unknown
- Penalty
- N/A — no such law exists
- Jurisdiction
- Claim was about national labor law. Paraguay's Labour Code (Law No. 213/93) governs all employer-employee relations nationally.