JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – For four generations, Willie Nel’s family farmed a poor man’s crop.
That changed about a decade ago. Not the crop. Nel still grows rooibos, large bushy shrubs covered with green needlelike leaves that are dried and used for a tea produced only in South Africa.
What changed is demand. In less than a decade the red, fruity tea (also called red bush) has gone from unknown to ubiquitous. Once consumed mostly by South Africans, it’s now common enough to be sold alongside lattes at Starbucks in the U.S.
“I had a feeling the demand would grow and it has been very good,” said Nel, who drinks up to 10 cups a day during winter. “About 20 years ago rooibos was known as the poor farmer’s crop. But the last five to 10 years things have changed.”
So much so Nel has increased production at his farm in Ysterfontein (near the rooibos capital of Clanwilliam, about 150 miles north of Cape Town) by 40 percent during the last four years. His labor force has nearly doubled.
Nel modestly acknowledges that being part of the creation of a worldwide taste phenomenon is a source of pride.
“Rooibos is known in London, Australia, the U.S., but it is only grown here,” he said. “That does make me proud.”
It also makes money. The $31 million industry more than doubled sales during the past six years. Last year, South African farmers sold nearly 11,000 metric tons (12,125 short tons) of the tea, with more than half of that exported. In 2000, they sold just 4,700 metric tons (5,181 short tons) and exported 1,200 metric tons (1,323 short tons).
“The demand for rooibos has grown continuously over the last couple of years mainly due to the growth of exports,” said Arend Redelinghuys, a spokesman for Rooibos Limited, the leading supplier of rooibos tea with 70 percent of the international market.
Though the United States still accounts for just 4 percent of industry sales (Germany is tops), the specialty teas market – in which rooibos falls – is the only tea category showing growth worldwide, says Redelinghuys.
“Tea is flourishing in the United States, mostly driven by its association with health benefits,” said Joe Simrany, president of the Tea Association of the U.S.A.
Naturally caffeine free, low in tannins and rich in antioxidants, rooibos remains mostly a warm beverage in South Africa, where it usually is consumed plain, with lemon juice or with milk and sugar. It also sometimes is used as a meat tenderizer and flavoring for baked goods and jams.
Though technically not a true tea, this herbal drink has been consumed for centuries in South Africa, often as medicine.
California-based Republic of Tea has seen sales of its rooibos-based teas double during the past three years. The tea seller introduced five rooibos products in 2001. They were so popular, another nine were added last year, with plans for more.
Company spokeswoman Marideth Post attributes the growth to several factors, including Americans desire for increasingly exotic flavors, the overall rise of specialty teas and reports of health benefits associated with tea consumption.
Likewise, New York-based Snapple, which sells bottled tea drinks, in January rolled out three rooibos-based beverages.
Bryan Mazur, the company’s general manager of tea, says sales already are strong.
James Norwood Pratt, a tea expert who has written several books on tea, agrees that the growth of rooibos has been dramatic.
“Suddenly everybody has heard of rooibos and it became a major fad. And it still is, though it’s growth is no longer exponential,” he said.
Rooibos grows in South Africa’s arid Cederberg region, an area of rich flora. For generations, indigenous San people harvested the wild plants, chopping them with axes and bruising them with hammers before leaving them to ferment and dry in the sun.
Commercial production began in the early 1900s. Today, the nation has eight processors and 450 rooibos farmers cultivating more than 111,000 acres of rooibos. The harvest still is done largely by hand from January through April.
Until recently, rooibos was considered old-fashioned and medicinal, something country folk and grandmothers drank, says Soekie Snyman of the Rooibos Council, an industrywide body.
“It used to be seen as an inferior product, but now it is coming into its own,” she said.
The evolution is changing how South Africans drink rooibos too.
Last year South African olive farmer Carl Pretorius launched Red Espresso, a form of rooibos used like ground coffee to produce espressos, cappuccinos and lattes. The product has taken off in cafes across the country and is breaking into international markets.
“It’s the first of its kind in the world,” said Pretorius, who hit upon the idea in an attempt to break his six-a-day espresso habit. “I think we are really taking rooibos to levels tea has never been.”
To ensure rooibos remains uniquely South African, the industry is working to get it classified as a geographic indicator, giving it a protection similar to that enjoyed by Champagne, Snyman said.
Fruity teas make some of the best iced teas. This recipe uses rooibos, a red herbal tea from South Africa that tastes of berries and citrus. A bit of sugar and freshly squeezed orange juice amplify the tea’s natural sweetness.
Start to finish: 1 hour (5 minutes active)
Servings: 10
1/2 cup loose rooibos tea leaves
14 cups water, room temperature
3 oranges
1/2 cup sugar
Ice
Place the tea in the center of an 8×8-inch piece of cheesecloth. Bunch the corners of the cloth together to form a pouch and tie together with kitchen twine or a twist tie.
Place the tea pouch in a clear 1 gallon glass jug. Add the water, seal the jug and place it in a sunny spot outside or in a window.
After about 45 minutes the tea should be a deep red. Discard the tea bag. Juice two of the oranges and add the juice to the tea. Add the sugar and mix until dissolved. Add ice to chill. Cut the remaining orange into slices and add to the tea.
J.M. Hirsch, Associated Press
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