Dan Criss

Dan Criss is the co-founder of Heretic Yerba, a small-batch yerba mate beverage company based in Longview, Washington. Founded in 2018 alongside his wife Kristina, Heretic Yerba challenges coffee culture with bold, handcrafted yerba mate blends and natural energy drinks, all sourced from sustainable farms in South America.

Dan and Kristina Criss launched Heretic Yerba with the goal of offering a cleaner, smoother caffeine alternative to coffee. They built the business around direct relationships with South American growers, focusing on small-batch production and a straightforward product. The couple personally sold their blends at farmers markets, starting with the Vancouver Farmers Market on weekends and later adding Astoria Sunday Market as customer demand grew.

Through Instagram and in-person market presence, Dan and Kristina built a loyal local following. Heretic Yerba's brand identity leans into a "defy the norm" ethos, targeting people who question conventional coffee culture and want something different. Dan has appeared on the How I Built This Advice Line podcast, where he discussed the early days of Heretic Yerba and his thinking on whether to expand beyond loose-leaf yerba mate into energy drinks.

Under Dan's leadership, Heretic Yerba has grown from a farmers market stall into a recognized name in the Pacific Northwest yerba mate scene. The company continues to operate with a focus on small-batch craft and direct customer relationships, maintaining its founding mission of offering a thoughtful alternative to mainstream caffeine.