Library · About this library
Sources and methodology
Every factual page in the library draws on the register below. The narrative pages keep their notes folded away; this page is where the folding stops.
How the library is written
Sources are read, logged with the date they were read and whether they were read in full, and then summarised in the library's own words. Government instruments, scientific papers, industry bodies, supplier descriptions and historical accounts carry different authority, and the register says which is which. Where sources conflict, the library keeps both statements and says so rather than choosing one. Where only a listing was seen, the entry says so and is used for nothing beyond the listing's existence. Dated figures keep their dates. Supplier descriptions are used to illustrate that practices and names vary, never as standards. Statements about effects on the body are confined to the health evidence page, which says what each cited study measured. The market-cycle page separates observed series from a model's output and names the model's date and assumptions.
Each library page ends with a collapsed "Sources and notes" block listing the entries it drew on. Opinion and the publisher's own preferences are labelled as such on the page where they appear. Photographs are the publisher's own unless a caption credits another photographer and licence. The maps are built from Natural Earth public-domain data with editorial points; they are sketch maps, not surveys, and draw no legal boundary. Trade details on the farm's trade page come directly from the operator and not from these sources.
The library is a research edition, not an exhaustive account, and some facts still need direct confirmation before they could be relied on commercially: the current executed benefit-sharing arrangement, the outcome of the 2026 domestic geographical-indication application, later amendments to the export standard, and current certification status of any supplier. None of those is stated as settled anywhere in the library.
The register
-
South African Rooibos Council, Frequently asked questions (undated web page, labelled 2024), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: Botanical name Aspalathus linearis; leaves and stems make a herbal infusion. Red rooibos is oxidised (called fermentation) then sun-dried; green rooibos is dried directly to prevent oxidation. Grading by colour, flavour, aroma and cut length; steam pasteurising of bulk rooibos. Seed sowing in late summer, transplanting a few months later, first harvest about eighteen months on, three to five harvests before re-establishment. Producing towns named by the Council; the Cederberg described as the natural home; wild harvesting near Wupperthal and Heiveld. Promotional health and storage statements are not adopted.
-
South African Rooibos Council, 2022 information sheet (PDF) (2022), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: Rooibos is produced in the Western Cape and the Northern Cape. Different rooibos types come from different processing. The name carries geographical protection.
-
European Commission, eAmbrosia geographical indications register: Rooibos / Red Bush (register entry), index listing seen 2026-10-21; the entry itself was not retrieved.
Used for: An entry named Rooibos / Red Bush appears in the EU geographical indications register. Seen as an index listing only; the entry page rendered blank without JavaScript and its text was not read.
-
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/865 entering Rooibos / Red Bush in the register of protected designations of origin, with its single document (28 May 2021), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: Rooibos / Red Bush was registered as a protected designation of origin in 2021 for dried leaves and stems of Aspalathus linearis cultivated or wild-harvested in a defined area, oxidised or green. Moisture below 10% for oxidised and below 5% for green product in the single document. The production description says fire is not used to clear old fields. The boundary is defined in the annex and is not drawn on this hub.
-
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Plants of the World Online: Aspalathus linearis (Burm.f.) R.Dahlgren (living database), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: Accepted species in Fabaceae; native range given as the Cape Provinces. The native range is not the same as the protected-name boundary.
-
Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Rooibos tea production brochure (2012 revision) (2012), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: Plant morphology: single basal stem branching above the soil, height up to about one and a half metres. Indicative rainfall range and acidic, deep, sandy, well-drained soils, used as historical orientation only. Its medical statements and its advice to burn old stands are not adopted.
-
Carmién Tea, Rooibos production and processing (undated web page), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: Cutting and bundling of harvested branches; cutter, bruising, overnight oxidation, sun drying; magnets and sieves in secondary processing; a heated fluid-bed dryer for green rooibos. As one named operation's example: a harvest between January and April, watering and airing before a heap of ten to fourteen hours, a magnet before four kinds of sieve, steam pasteurising followed by hot-air re-drying, and bulk kraft bags or retail formats, all at the Bergendal facility it calls its own. Its steam setting, sieving capacity and moisture targets are that facility's statements and are not restated as rules or as product-core conditions.
-
Carmién Tea, Bulk rooibos tea: cuts and packing (undated web page), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: Example cut names and size bands from one supplier (super fine, short, long cut, choice, dust and powder) to illustrate that grade names are supplier-specific. Quote-based pricing; no figures reused.
-
Rooibos Ltd, About rooibos and manufacturing (undated web page), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: Annual summer and autumn harvesting, mostly by hand; the broad sequence harvest, cut, bruise, oxidise, dry, grade, screen, blend, pasteurise, dry and pack. Extract and ingredient applications in food, dairy, bakery and cosmetics.
-
Rooibos Ltd, Company history and producer support (undated web page), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: Self-reported historical account: marketing from 1904, cultivation development in the 1930s, a control board from 1954 and privatisation in 1993. The company's own description of itself as the oldest and largest rooibos processor, exporting to more than fifty countries, with packed products and an extraction plant; attributed as a self-description, not an audited ranking, and no producer count is given on the page.
-
Agricultural Research Council, Rooibos aroma wheel (2017) (2017), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: A descriptive vocabulary developed from 208 oxidised samples across two production areas and three years; positive descriptors such as rooibos-woody, fynbos-floral and honey-like, and named taints. The artwork is copyright ARC and is linked, not copied.
-
Agricultural Research Council, Sensory manuals page (undated web page), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: A rooibos sensory lexicon manual exists and copies can be requested.
-
Department of Agriculture, Export standards and requirements: rooibos (B8) (revision with 2019 amendment), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: An official export standard sets quality, container, marking and traceability requirements for rooibos; later amendments must be checked before a transaction. Export approval validity is distinct from shelf life.
-
Perishable Products Export Control Board, About and overview (live page), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: The export inspection and food-safety mandate under the APS Act. An inspection is not a promise of sterility.
-
Minister Barbara Creecy, launch of the rooibos traditional-knowledge industry-wide benefit-sharing agreement (1 November 2019), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: The agreement recognises Khoi and San traditional knowledge; a levy of one and a half per cent on processors' farm-gate purchases excluding VAT was described at launch.
-
Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, payment of benefits to the San and Khoi rooibos trusts (July 2022), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: A first transfer to two community trusts was reported in 2022. A transfer into trusts is not proof of distribution to individuals.
-
Natural Justice, The rooibos access and benefit-sharing agreement (November 2019), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: The negotiation history and the representation of the communities.
-
Schroeder and colleagues, The rooibos benefit sharing agreement: breaking new ground with respect, honesty, fairness and care (2020) (2020), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: Parties to the agreement and the possibility of non-monetary benefits such as training; not evidence that every scheme was implemented.
-
SANBI, Heiveld cooperative: sustainable rooibos farming (case study) (June 2009), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: Conservation strips, sustainable wild-harvest research and smallholder organisation in the Suid Bokkeveld, as a historical example.
-
UNDP Equator Initiative, Heiveld Co-operative profile (2017), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: Smallholder organisation and market access as described in 2017; membership figures differ between profiles and none is restated as current.
-
Marnewick and colleagues, Effects of rooibos on oxidative stress and biochemical parameters in adults at risk for cardiovascular disease (2011) (2011), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: Forty adults at cardiovascular risk drank six cups of oxidised rooibos daily for six weeks; biochemical markers were measured. It does not establish any treatment outcome.
-
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, About herbs: Rooibos tea (updated 2023), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: Human evidence is limited; case reports of liver effects and cautions about interactions and hormone-sensitive conditions are noted, not population estimates.
-
Gouws, Hartel and van Wyk, Processing and microbial safety of rooibos (2014) (2014), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: Raw rooibos carries a microbial load and a dry product still needs validated controls; why pasteurising is part of the process.
-
South African Rooibos Council, As exports grow, rooibos maintains course amid climate and trade pressures (25 February 2026), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: Production varies with rainfall and planting cycles; a 2025 production estimate of about fifteen thousand tonnes, cited as dated industry context. The 2025 export headline: approximately 10 930 tonnes exported, Japan the largest market at approximately 3 606 tonnes and 33% of exports, with Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, France, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and China named. A headline only; the page gives no full 2025 country table and none is inferred.
-
South African Rooibos Council, Legal standards and compliance (live page), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: An index of origin-protection and standards links; the instruments themselves are the authority.
-
South African Government blog, Growing our heritage: the value of South Africa's indigenous plants (23 September 2026), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: Rooibos is indigenous to a limited area of the Western and Northern Cape including the Cederberg; the whole range is not reduced to one town.
-
Department of Agriculture, New applications: intention to register a South African geographical indication for rooibos (notice 7438) (8 May 2026), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: A domestic geographical-indication application was advertised in May 2026 with objections invited; the notice does not establish registration.
-
Fairtrade International, Fairtrade minimum price and premium table (public) (version of October 2026; rooibos rows effective 2008), retrieved 2026-10-20.
Used for: Certification floors and premiums for rooibos exist and differ by category; they are not market prices and no figure is reused.
-
Rooibos Almanac, One crop, two ledgers: story dataset and model set v1.2 (local working copy, inspected read-only) (October 2026), inspected read-only 2026-10-21.
Used for: Historical producer-price, export unit value, share, use and crop series 2005 to 2025; a reconstructed stock series; a reference yield curve by field age; the stated planting lag; and three dated model scenarios shown as model output only. Its cost model, processor financial figures, input tables and legal claims are not reused.
-
Nieuwoudtville tourism, Sights to see (undated web page), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: Named sights around Nieuwoudtville for the visit section; the companion guide carries the detail.
-
Wikipedia, Nieuwoudtville (town coordinates and summary) (revision read 21 October 2026), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: Town coordinates for the atlas point; the town lies on the Bokkeveld escarpment in the Northern Cape.
-
SANBI, Hantam National Botanical Garden: visitor information (live page), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: The garden's address line and published GPS point for the atlas; its tariff material is not reused.
-
Natural Earth, 1:10m cultural and physical vector data (public domain) (current release, fetched 21 October 2026), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: Coastline, rivers, roads, populated places and provincial boundary used as the base map, clipped and simplified; nothing in it is survey-accurate.
-
Carmién Tea, Rooibos grades and cuts (undated web page), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: One supplier's published size bands as an illustration: red super fine cut 0.5 to 2 mm, short cut 0.5 to 2.5 mm, long cut 3 to 6 mm, a choice grade of irregular size, and powder grades without a stated range; green fine cut 0.5 to 2.5 mm and long cut 3 to 6 mm. Catalogue ranges for one supplier, not a national grading law and no assurance that every particle in a lot falls inside a band.
-
Phenolic composition of rooibos during simulated fermentation: endogenous enzymes and reaction kinetics (Food Research International, 2019) (2019), abstract or excerpt read through a search index 2026-10-21; the document itself was not retrieved.
Used for: Endogenous plant enzymes participate in the colour and composition change; aspalathin and nothofagin decline and transform; kinetics were studied in a plant matrix at 37 to 50 °C as experimental conditions. The temperatures are a study's conditions, not a recommended operating range for any court or factory.
-
An improved HPLC method targeting the compositional changes of rooibos during fermentation (Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 2017) (2017), abstract or excerpt read through a search index 2026-10-21; the document itself was not retrieved.
Used for: Aspalathin and eriodictyol-glucoside isomers as markers of the change during oxidation; the chemistry is not a single direct conversion of one compound into one flavone.
-
Effect of acid scarification on seed of Aspalathus linearis (1985) (1985), abstract or excerpt read through a search index 2026-10-21; the document itself was not retrieved.
Used for: Acid treatment improved coat permeability and germination while damaging seed structures and reducing seedling vigour in that experiment. No acid concentration or exposure time is restated as a procedure.
-
Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) genome size estimation using flow cytometry and k-mer analyses (Plants, 2020) (2020), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: The study's seed lot: pre-treated commercial seed, scarified and coated with a pesticide, supplied by Rooibos Ltd and collected in 2017 from commercial plants on several Cederberg farms; germinated on moist filter paper. One study's seed lot, not evidence of every grower's practice and not evidence that any treatment is permitted under organic certification.
-
SANBI PlantZAfrica, Aspalathus linearis (botanical account) (account dated 2007), abstract or excerpt read through a search index 2026-10-21; the document itself was not retrieved.
Used for: Botanical context: wild forms and ecotypes, including resprouting forms, against the cultivated reseeding type. Its old numerical sowing depth and its health statements are not adopted.
-
Water Research Commission, The Water Wheel vol. 15 no. 2, March–April 2016: conservation agriculture cover story including a rooibos example (2016), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: A Western Cape Department of Agriculture example, begun with rooibos farmers in 2003: oats planted across the land with a conservation planter, rooibos set in paired rows with a tractor-width lane between them built up with cover crops (natural cover, then lupin, then oats again), a one-year rest instead of two, a knife-roller and spot spraying instead of a boom sprayer. Reported as one programme's experience: no higher rooibos yield had been seen at the time, some costs were reported lower, and the farmers' remark that their parents got more harvests per plant is an anecdote, not a measurement.
-
Western Cape Department of Agriculture (Green Agri), rooibos cover-crop research brief (undated), abstract or excerpt read through a search index 2026-10-21; the document itself was not retrieved.
Used for: A proposal to test cover-crop mixtures such as serradella, lupin, vetch, barley, oats and rye between rooibos rows; proposed research, with no completed trial result read.
-
Noel Oettlé, Adaptation with a human face: adaptation case study, Suid Bokkeveld (Environmental Monitoring Group, 2012) (November 2012), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: Heiveld members' experience: a seedling nursery from 2005 with a manual on raising seedlings for organic production, water shortages that curtailed it, tap-root damage at transplanting linked by the farmers to root disease and shorter plant life, and the cooperative's move to supplying scarified seed for direct seeding; one farmer's direct-seeded lands sheltered by strips of natural vegetation on a very dry farm, with seed that can stay viable into a later season. Wild rooibos: little seed, heavy seed predation, resprouting after fire, seedlings that failed when transplanted into the wild, and germination stimulated by a small fire over the seed. A case study of one cooperative's practice, not a replicated trial comparing direct sowing with transplanting; its pollination observations (solitary bees and wasps rather than honey bees) are reported as a student study.
-
Agricultural Research Council, Sensory wheels for the South African herbal tea industry (undated web page), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: A generic rooibos sensory wheel developed in 2011 and revised in 2017; aroma and palate wheels for green rooibos released in 2024; copies available on request. The artwork is copyright ARC and is linked, not reproduced.
-
Green rooibos sensory tools and shelf-life storage study (Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2024) (2024), abstract or excerpt read through a search index 2026-10-21; the document itself was not retrieved.
Used for: Green rooibos takes up moisture in storage and its water activity changes; a reason to measure both rather than judge dryness by eye. No release limit is taken from it.
-
South African Rooibos Council, Rooibos industry information sheet 2025 (PDF) (2025), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: Top-ten export destination tables for 2022, 2023 and 2024 in kilograms with the Council's rounded percentages; exports of 6 552 tonnes in 2013 rising to 9 760 tonnes in 2024; production of 17 000 tonnes in 2023 and 14 000 tonnes in 2024; a domestic market estimated at about 7 500 tonnes a year; export to more than fifty countries; Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe consistently in the top ten since 2016. Its promotional health statements are not adopted. Rounded percentages are kept as printed and are not recomputed or presented as exact.
-
Cape Natural Tea Products, company website (live page), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: Self-description as a bulk supplier sourcing from more than two hundred producers, with five processing sites, a Cape Town production facility, contract processing and export of rooibos, honeybush and other botanicals. No tonnage is published and none is inferred.
-
Cape Rooibos, company website (live page), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: Self-description as a producer-owned business-to-business bulk supplier with more than eighty farmer owners, a purpose-built processing facility and a stated processing figure of about five thousand tonnes a year; attributed, and not treated as audited intake or sales.
-
Joekels Tea Packers, company website (live page), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: Founded in 1994; packs, blends and distributes household tea brands including Laager rooibos. The page does not say where its rooibos is sourced, and no supplier link is inferred.
-
AVI Limited, Freshpak brand page (live page, copyright line 2026), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: Freshpak is an AVI brand; the page calls it South Africa's best-selling rooibos and says it is sold in several international markets. The claim is the brand owner's own and carries no supporting data on the page; its health and caffeine wording is not adopted.
-
AVI Limited, HY26 results presentation (PDF) (March 2026), abstract or excerpt read through a search index 2026-10-21; the document itself was not retrieved.
Used for: The group-level placing of Freshpak within AVI's beverages business (Entyce / National Brands) as indexed. No segment or rooibos financial figure is used.
-
Consumer Affairs Agency of Japan (消費者庁), Health and nutrition labelling: overview of the food labelling systems (live page), retrieved 2026-10-21.
Used for: Japan distinguishes several food health and nutrition labelling systems; the page is an overview of those systems. It is not product approval: this site claims no approved or notified labelling status under any of them for the publisher's rooibos or any other product; whether any such status exists is a product- and wording-specific question the source does not answer, and that review remains to be done.
-
Cloudskraal Farms, the publisher's own statement of its roles (grower with its own tea court) (October 2026), inspected read-only 2026-10-21.
Used for: The farm grows rooibos on the Bokkeveld plateau and oxidises and dries its own crop on its tea court. No area, volume, buyer, revenue or ranking is published.