Posadas, Misiones. The roar of engines is a thing of the past. Carlos Okulovich, the driver who became champion of Turismo Nacional in 2010 and dazzled in Turismo Carretera for nearly 20 years, has now swapped the steering wheel for mate. But this is no mere hobby: his new obsession is called Don Basilio, the yerba mate brand he launched with his family in October 2022, which is already competing in the big leagues of the yerba mate market.
“I drink mate all the time, whereas I only have tea every now and then,” Okulovich says with a laugh, making it clear that his passion for the national infusion has won out over racing. And for good reason: in 2023, after more than 150 races in TC and a single podium (a second place in San Luis), he decided to hang up his helmet in Argentina’s top motorsport category. “At first I wanted to keep doing both, but yerba mate gradually drew me in,” he confesses.
The story of Don Basilio begins much earlier, with the arrival of Basilio Okulovich, a Russian immigrant who came to Misiones “in my great-grandmother’s belly” and settled in Oberá, where he dedicated himself to tea cultivation. Decades later, the family business Don Basilio SRL became one of the country’s four largest tea exporters, alongside El Vasco, Urrutia, and multinational Finlays. However, the tea business hit a ceiling 15 years ago, with stagnant exports and falling prices. That’s when the Okuloviches turned their sights to yerba mate.
In 2012, they installed a drying facility to produce dried yerba and sell it to major brands like Playadito or CBSé. But the big leap came in 2022, when they set up their own mill and launched Don Basilio. “Today our revenue from the yerba mate business exceeds that of tea, and we want to keep growing,” says Okulovich, who after living eight years in Buenos Aires returned to Oberá to balance his racing career with his role in the family business, where his sister Carolina also works.
The numbers speak for themselves: in 2023, Don Basilio ranked 47th in sales among all yerba mate companies; the following year it climbed to 41st, and last year it closed at around 22nd or 23rd by volume. “This year we’re already among the top 15,” Okulovich reveals, and sets a goal that sounds like a declaration of war: “We want to be among the top 10.” With a processing capacity of 22 million kilos per year, the company has the muscle to compete at the elite level.
But it’s not all business. Okulovich, who during his career represented brands like Rosamonte and CBSé, now carries the colors of Don Basilio in the regional categories where he still races as a hobby. “I don’t know if I left motorsports for yerba mate,” he says with a laugh, “I think family also pulls you, kids grow up, and you have to attend to other things.”
Quality is the brand’s strong suit. Okulovich highlights the aging process: “The ideal aging, our grandparents used to say, is two summers, because that’s the season when the leaf dries. We replicate that with cutting-edge technology.”
“At first, our business had customers you could count on one hand,” he reflects. “But when you have to go door-to-door, you go with your name and surname on the package, you start receiving people’s feedback, they try it, they consume it. We get a lot of comments from all over the country, good ones, some criticism, and we pay attention.”
From dirt tracks to supermarket shelves, Carlos Okulovich has found a new track to race on. And this time, the goal is not a checkered flag, but a spot on the podium of the country’s best-selling yerba mate brands.
Para mí esto huele a cuento del tío. Okulovich, burgués de mierda, se hace el yerbatero mientras los laburantes rurales se parten el lomo por dos mangos. Don Basilio, otra marca cheta para cagar al pueblo. Metete el top ten en el orto, explotador. La yerba es del pueblo, carajo.
Para mí este Okulovich es un ejemplo de lo que es laburar de verdad, no como los zurdos que viven de pedir. Don Basilio al top 10, carajo! Mientras los kirchos nos funden, él produce mate como Dios manda. Vamos Argentina, a seguir laburando que estos vagos no nos paran. Firme, El Gaucho.