Since its humble origins in the rugged Cederberg region of the Western Cape, the Rooibos industry has charted phenomenal growth, accumulating along the way a history as colourful as the land from which it comes.

What began as little more than a cottage industry around the turn of the 20th century has evolved in strength and efficiency into the fully privatised company that processes and markets Rooibos worldwide. As a result of the Rooibos market collapsing after the Second World War, the Clanwilliam Tea Cooperative was established in 1948.

At request of the Cooperative, the Minister of Agriculture appointed the Rooibos Tea Board in 1954, with the defined goals of regulating marketing, stabilising prices, and improving and standardising quality.

A new era began for the Rooibos industry, as the Board’s leadership guided the industry in its first definite steps towards real stability and prosperity. Since that time, the industry has made steady progress, refining its production method