By Nicolás Misculin

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -For decades, Lumilagro rode to prosperity on the popularity of its signature steel or glass thermoses Argentines use to carry hot water to make mate, the locally ubiquitous herbal tea.

But now, faced with cheaper imports, rising production costs, and declining sales, the over 80-year-old family business has been forced to scale back, its commercial manager Carlos Bender told Reuters. He said it now imports most of the thermoses it offers, at prices up to 30% lower than the cost of producing locally.

The company, whose website proudly declares “Made in Argentina,” shut down its glass furnace 18 months ago, operates only one of its four assembly lines and has cut its workforce from 160 to 60, Bender said in an office adjacent to its half-empty w

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