Rooibos

Rooibos - delicious, healthy and popular

Rooibos - The Story of ..

South Africa is home to one of the richest and most unique biomes in the World.
There are approx. 8000 plant species of which approx. 5000 are indigenous to South Africa. Rooibos belongs to the Finbos family which consists of 300 species.  Some hundreds of years ago native bushmen named Khoi Khoi discovered a delicious tasting shrub - Rooibos. Rooibos meaning “Red Bush”. The Red Bush shrub
was cut down, bruised and allowed to ferment. It was used by the Khoi Khoi people to treat many ailments. In the 1800s settlers aquired a taste for the bushmen’s red brew.It was harvested from the Cedarberg Mountains area , near Cape Town, South Africa.
Commercial production of Rooibos did not begin until ~ 100 years ago.

In 1950s the government of South Africa had formed department specifically dedicated to Rooibos. It’s primary function was to oversee production of Rooibos and stabilize pricing structure. It was privatized in 1993. Today there are several farmers co-ops that produce variety of Rooibos. Some produce standard Rooibos, others are strictly organic.