The Rooibos seedlings in the nursery: when they are four months old, the seedlings are planted in the fields.
Workers plant the early seedlings in the field using the planting machine. The young plant comes into the previously drawn furrow and receives 250 ml of a water mixture consisting of an organic seaweed fertilizer and a fungicide against fungal attack on the roots.
Three planters are in use so that things can go faster and more effectively. The employees check that all plants are correctly planted and that the planting holes in the ground are properly closed. If necessary, it is corrected by hand. The young plants then bloom in November.
Harvest
Harvesting is manual work - with a hand sickle. The cut Rooibos are collected, bundled and weighed at the end of the day.
A tractor then brings the harvest to the processing plant.
Process
The Rooibos harvested the day before is divided into smaller bundles and shredded into pieces 0.7 to 4 mm in length.
Then it comes to fermentation heaps so that it takes on its typical red color. To do this, it is moistened, regularly turned and rearranged. The fermentation lasts overnight. The temperature must be constantly monitored so that it does not overferment.
The next morning, tractors distribute the Rooibos in the drying area. Here, too, the Rooibos is turned over at certain intervals so that the wet Rooibos below can also dry well.
Machines pack the dried Rooibos in bulk bags that are labeled with batch numbers (and date). The sacks come to the warehouse. From there it goes to packaging plants, where the Rooibos is prepared for export.
