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The Rooibos plant has adapted well to the harsh conditions of the Cedarberg region, where temperatures drop to zero degrees centigrade during the winter months and rise to a blistering 48 degrees centigrade at the height of summer.
The winter rains vary between as little as 180 mm to 500mm for the year. No irrigation is used and the rooibos plant is often subjected to severe drought conditions. The survival mechanism of this hardy bush is its tap root that digs down 3 m or more into the well-drained, cool, sandy soil that has a high acidity level.
Rooibos is a unique product from a unique area. South Africa's Western Cape is home to a vast number of plant species, which thrive only in 'micro climates', of which the beautiful Cedarberg mountain area is one. It is only here that Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) grows in its natural state, in an area of Mediterranean rainfall and coarse sandy soil.
Everywhere against the mountain slopes in valleys and on top of plateaux or plains, there are open, arable fields, where Rooibos is grown at a varying altitude of approximately 450 m above sea level.
Centuries ago, the nomadic Khoi and San people harvested the fragrant Rooibos bush, crushing the leaves with their primitive tools and leaving them in heaps to ferment before drying them in the sun. Today, plants are cultivated rather than collected in the wild. Vast improvements in production technology and stringent quality control ensure a superior quality product every step of the way, from seed to retailers' shelves.
The small seeds are planted from February to March in well-prepared seed beds. Thorough and regular wetting is applied to ensure maximum germination. After four to six days, two cotyledons appear above the ground, later followed by needlelike leaves. During June to August the plants, which have already reached a height of 10-20cm, are transplanted into plantations in neat rows. During the younger stages, effective insect and weed control is applied to ensure the highest establishment percentage.
No fungicides are used and pesticides are employed sparingly and only when necessary. A certain percentage of the total Rooibos production is organically grown under supervision of internationally recognised organic certification companies. Eighteen months after planting, the Rooibos plant is pruned for the first time and thereafter is harvested annually by cutting of the branches 50cm above the ground. These cuttings are neatly bound into bundles and transported to the processing yards. The sheaves are then fed into special cutting machines, which maintain a uniform cutting length to ensure a neat appearance of the final product. The Rooibos is then bruised between rollers to trigger the important chemical process, fermentation. After proper airing the Rooibos is left in low heaps to ferment. A process of enzymatic oxidation takes place during which the product changes from green to the characteristic amber colour and develops the distinctive flavour and sweet aroma of Rooibos.
Following fermentation, Rooibos is spread thinly over large drying yards to dry in the hot African sun, after which it is sucked up by special vacuum machines.
At Rooibos Limited, the product is sorted and graded according to length, colour, flavour and aroma. This guarantees a uniform standard of high quality across all grades suitable for packing into teabags or loose-leaf form. Thereafter the Rooibos is purified and by special state of the art pasteurisation and drying equipment. Throughout the process, bacteriological control is vigorously monitored by laboratory testing to ensure the final product can be certified as hygienic, superior quality Rooibos.
The finished Rooibos is finally weighed by electronic scales and packed in paper bags, which are then automatically palletized and stretch-wrapped, ready for dispatch to customers around the world.
Rooibos Limited offers a wide range of services to meet specific customer needs, such as blending, flavouring, extracting, contract packaging and bulk packaging.
Although a large range of standard products are available, Rooibos Limited continually develops new products in partnership with our customers. |
