Rooibos tea is a popular drink of choice in South Africa and internationally. Exports to over 30 countries, including Germany, Japan, and the United States and local sales, bring the value of rooibos up to R600 million annually. Over the last decade, production has been between 10 000 and 18 000 tones per annum. Local sales account for half of the annual rooibos consumption, but global demand pushed exports to over 6 000 tones/year in 2016, and total rooibos sales equated to 6 billion cups of tea.

Rooibos is only produced in a small area in the Western and Northern Cape of South Africa. Namely, the Cederberg and Sandveld areas in Western Cape and Bokkeveld area in the Northern Cape. The rooibos farming industry employs 8 000 people and is increasingly attracting more small-scale farmers. Rooibos plants have a tap-root system and are well-adapted to harsh, dry conditions, so they flourish in dramatic temperatures ranging from 0°C to above 45°C.

The plants also do not require irrigation and only need a winter rainfall of 180mm to 500mm per year. Throughout October, the rooibos bushes produce small yellow flowers that have hard-shelled seeds. The seeds are collected by moving the sand around the bushes. The seeds are then scoured mechanically to increase their germination rate by 30%-95%. The seeds are then planted in seedbeds during summer (February and March) and then transferred to rows in plantations in winter.

Eighteen months later, the rooibos is annually harvested by cutting the top 50cm of the bushes. The plant has a lifespan of about six years and delivers an average of four crops. The cuttings are then bruised and left to ferment in piles. Fermentation allows for enzymatic oxidation, and the tea leaves change from green to red-brown.

This is when rooibos develops its unique sweet aroma. Once fermentation is complete, the cuttings are sun-dried in drying yards. The fermentation process is dependent on temperature and humidity. The process takes between one or two days. Ideally, rooibos can be dried to less than 10% moisture content by the following day. Skipping the fermentation process produces green rooibos tea, which has higher levels of antioxidants; however, it is not as sweet and fermented rooibos tea.

The green rooibos tea cuttings are passed through a heated fluid-bed dryer, which takes about 20 minutes. Once processed, both rooibos teas are graded based on length, color, flavor, and aroma. It is then packaged and sent off to be enjoyed around the world!