As part of our fun-anecdotes-to-share-with-your-customers-series, it’s time to talk about Rooibos.
What is Rooibos?
Rooibos is an evergreen shrub of the Fabaceae family. Its Latin name is Aspalathus linearis whose leaves are principally used to make herbal tea.
What does Rooibos mean?
Rooi-bos means “red bush”. Interestingly, the leaves appear intensely green until they are cut. They only acquire their characteristic red color after harvesting and during the fermentation process.
Only 1 country in the world produces Rooibos
Rooibos comes exclusively from South Africa and grows in the Cederberg region situated on the country’s West coast.
Rooibos is also Geographical Indicator (GI) since 2014. This means that only a few plantations in the Cederberg region are allowed to produce it.
This means that to produce Rooibos, 2 criteria must be met:
- Use only leaves from the Aspalathus linearis plant,
- Cultivate it in the Cederberg region.
Does Rooibos contain caffeine?
No. Rooibos contains no caffeine and can be drunk at any time of day.
What’s the difference between “green” and “red” Rooibos?
The most popular version of Rooibos you can buy is “red” Rooibos. Green Rooibos is just a less fermented version of Rooibos. The leaves are steamed and dried directly after the harverting process.
Since the leaves are exposed to less oxygen, their original green colour can be partly preserved during the production process.
How many tons of Rooibos are produced each year?
About 15,000 tons of Rooibos are produced every year over 70,000 hectares of land.
World’s biggest importer of Rooibos?
Rooibos’ consumption historically originated mostly from South Africa. It grew in popularity overseas, notably after the end of the Apartheid.
With expanding export levels representing +700% between 1993 and 2003, Germany was previously the main importer in volume. But Japan took the lead in 2020 and 2021, where the leaves rose in popularity in herbal tea preparations.
When is Rooibos harvested?
There is usually only one harvest during the southern hemisphere summer (between December and February).
How long does it take for a Rooibos bush to be harvested for the first time?
It’s relatively fast. It only takes 18 months for newly planted bush to be harvested for the first time.
