About us-Planting, Processing and Logistics-Rooibos China

Seed collection

Seeds that fall naturally into the field are collected, screened and dried for storage

Seed Dehulling

Dehulling through mechanical or manual methods

Quality control

Treat ground seeds with thiuram（Fungicide）

Planting of seeds

Plant the seedlings in the nursery during the late summer months of Februray and March

Quality control

Use pesticides in the seedbeds

Transplanting

Transplant the seedlings from the nursery to the growing fields after the last winter rains in July-August

Pruning

Pruning to promote nutritional absorption and growth, and to tidy up the bush

Harvest

18 months after planting the transplanted seeds, harvest the upper part of the plant from a height of 20-40 cm above the ground

Make a bundle

Make bundles of branches cut 50 to 80 cm long

Cut

Cut harvested branches into lengths of up to 5mm

Stacking

Pile chopped tea leaves in a low heap on a concrete floor

Spray water

Ensure that the mouisture content reaches 60%

Aeration

Allow air to pass through the moist raw tea

Bruise the tea

Fermentation

The raw tea is fermented for 6-8 hours at a temperature of 20-25 degrees Celsius

Sun drying

Sun drying to moisture levels of under 11%

Tea recycling

Inspection

Incoming tea is taken from the factory entrance and put into the mixer for inspection

Classification and quality analysis

The extracted tea is analyzed and graded

Delivery

Batches are divided according to the tea grade, certification requirements, pesticide residue analysis, etc

Primary screening

Vibration to remove foreign matter and uncut branches

Secondary screening

Divide the tea particles according to 5 specifications using a mesh system

Fine screening

The final screening of tea leaves

Storage before mixing

Place into silos according to particle size

Mixing

Drawing from multiple silos according to grade

Metal removal

Between the silo and the pasteurizer, the tea is passed through two finger magnets and a roller magnet

High temperature steam sterilization

100 degrees steam treatment for 1 minute, kill eggs, achieve bacterial sterilization effect

Analysis test

Check items include particle size, moisture, distribution density, leaf to stem proportion, pesticide residue examination, bacterial examination, sensory examination

Packing

Bag in pasteurized kraft paper bags

Issue certificate

Issue product specification certificate and health certificate

Obtain export approval

Animal and plant inspection, quarantine certification and certificate of origin

Labeling

Conform to Chinese export requirements

Shipping

Cases are sent from the factory in Clanwilliam to Cape Town Port in 40-foot containers

Export

Containers leave Cape Town port for China

Crop rotation

Rooibos fields are left to lie in fallow or planted with rotation crops such as oats for a typical period of 5 years

Storage

The products are stored in our Chinese warehouse