The story of Rooibos Tea began at the turn of the century in the Cedarberg area of the Cape

The story of rooibos paints a colourful historical picture of one of South Africa’s few endemic wild resources that succeeded in progressing to achieve the status of a commercially cultivated crop.

The breathtaking beauty of the Cedarberg mountain range in the Western Cape forms the backdrop for an industry that had its humble origins at the turn of the previous century.

Credit goes to the local folk of the Clanwilliam region for discovering that the fine, needle-like leaves of the Aspalathus Linearis plant could be harvested to produce a deliciously aromatic brew. Following a process allegedly copied from the Malayan slaves, they cut off the twigs from the shrub and then bruised the leaves with hammers, leaving them to ferment in heaps, before drying them in the sun.

Today the same method, albeit more refined and mechanised, still applies to produce the tasty beverage that botanist Carl Humberg reported on in 1772.

The needle-like

Aspalathus Linearis plant

Benjamin Ginsberg played a pioneering role in developing the immense marketing potential of rooibos, or ‘mountain’ tea as it was aptly dubbed. In 1904, this Russian immigrant to South Africa discovered the tea tricks that the Cedarberg locals were up to. Stemming from a family with centuries’ long involvement in the tea industry, he skillfully began trading tea with the locals, and marketing and selling it.

Much of the transformation of wild-growing rooibos into a full-scale indigenous agricultural industry is owed to dr. P. le Fras Nortier, a physician and avid nature lover. In 1930 he discovered that rooibos possessed exceptional agricultural and medicinal value. His enthusiasm sparked farmers’ interest in the potential of this versatile shrub. Soon the commercial production of rooibos was steadily gaining momentum.

People of the

Cedarberg mountains

However, with the entire tea business suffering a crushing blow by the onset of World War II, a severe economic slump also ensued in the rooibos industry. Two years after the war ended, the price of tea plummeted to a rockbottom low of 6,5c/kg. In an effort to save the struggling industry, the Clanwilliam Tea Cooperative was established in 1948. Its rescue mission included appointing new distributors and creating new brand names.

The market, however, failed to pick up. Adhering to a request of the Cooperative, the Minister of Agriculture appointed the Rooibos Tea Control Board in November 1954. On the agenda were goals to regulate marketing, stabilise prices, and improve and standardise quality.

As a result of Wold War II

Under the leadership of the Board, a new era of improved stability and prosperity dawned for the industry. The Board has subsequently been privatised in 1993.

Today, refined production methods and increased distribution ensure that more people worldwide can now enjoy a cup of rooibos wholesomeness.

Rooibos Tea in its finest form