Rooibos, Afrikaans for "red bush" has a  number of different names  -  Rooibos tea, Red tea, Red bush tea, Long life tea or Herbal allergy tea. Technically, it is not a tea as it comes from the plant Aspalathus linearis rather than the Camellia plants that produce traditional teas, but it is used to make a tisane (herbal tea).  Most commonly it is called Rooibos, and this product has been popular in South Africa for generations and is now consumed in many countries.  No matter what it is called, rooibos is a delicious and versatile beverage, but this isn't the full extent of rooibo’s uses.   

Currently, a number of industries are developing innovative ways that make use of rooibos. Cosmetic manufacturers are using it in herbal remedies for skin ailments such as eczema and acne. In Asia, it is known as "Long Life" tea, due to its high levels of flavinoids, free-radical fighting antioxidants. It has also been promoted for its wide variety of health benefits and is high in minerals including zinc, calcium, fluoride and manganese.   Rooibos is also being used as a dye, a vitamin, a spice and for just about anything that could be imagined. Its versatility and flavour makes rooibos a favourite for many, and a must-try for others.

Using rooibos tea as a substitute for water in cooking and baking provides an interesting alternative and provides numerous health benefits. In baking, rooibos concentrate can be substituted for water and added to pancakes, waffles, muffins and biscuits and also used to create homemade breads high in antioxidants.  It has also been shown to be an effective meat tenderizer and marinade and a natural colour enhancer in soups.

There is another side to this versatile beverage.  Typically workers on tea plantations earn less than $2 a day. Labour unrest and unemployment are common in this industry which is dominated by a handful of multinational companies.  Rooibos tea shares a similar story. It comes from the Northern Cape province of South Africa – the only place in the world where rooibos is grown. Early colonial settlers to South Africa dispossessed the traditional inhabitants of their lands. With no land of their own, many of these native San (bushmen) and Khoi (Hottentot) peoples had little choice but to work for slave wages on white-owned plantations. Today, 98% of all rooibos is still grown on large-scale white-owned plantations.

The fair trade movement offers an alternative, empowering thousands of workers otherwise stuck at the bottom of the troubled tea industry.  Trade Aid’s organic rooibos, the newest addition to the growing Trade Aid food range, comes from two very small-scale rooibos producer associations – Wupperthal Rooibos Tea Association, and the Heiveld Co-operative. These co-operatives now own small parcels of land and are able to supply fair trade markets, and have set a minimum wage level that is approximately 70% higher than that of the plantations. Wupperthal and Heiveld are two distinct co-operatives, but they partner together to market their rooibos and own a controlling share of an export company named Fair Packers.

Both groups share a commitment to the sustainable harvest of organic wild rooibos tea as the means by which they can provide a better life for their members. Income from the sale of this tea is put towards education, and into improvements in housing, nutrition and health for the benefit of the cooperatives’ families. The issue of land reform is also a focus for the groups, who actively promote improved access to land for previously disadvantaged groups as a means of addressing the injustices of the past.