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Cooperatives

Rooibos from South Africa

Rooibos is South Africa’s national drink. In the Cederberg region north of Cape Town, the Fairtrade cooperative Heiveld grows the red tea organically.

Rooibos only grows under the baking hot sun of the South African mountains. Generation after generation has known it as a delicious hot drink. But for the long period of apartheid, only white farmers were allowed to cultivate it. Heiveld’s foundation was therefore a milestone: 14 smallholder families that would then have been discriminated against as „coloured“ grow high quality rooibos together and sell it on. They do this strictly according to organic and Fairtrade principles. It’s a real David and Goliath story! Even today, 98% of all rooibos sold comes from the plantations of white large-scale landowners. This makes Heiveld’s success all the more impressive.

Local action

The Lemonaid and ChariTea Foundation supports the Heiveld cooperative with the purchase of solar energy units and water tanks. This means their houses can be supplied with electricity and an emergency system for droughts can be put in place. At the moment, the organisation is also helping members of the community in particular need to buy land

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