Did You Know?

Rooibos contains 9 essential minerals
- calcium, potassium,
magnesium, iron, zinc, sodium,
copper, manganese and fluoride.


The story of Rooibos started centuries ago in the Cedarberg region of the Western Cape. It was the locals of the area who first discovered that the fine, needle-like leaves of the Aspalathus linearis plant made a tasty, aromatic tea.



Dr. P. Le Fras Nortier

The story of Rooibos started centuries ago in the Cedarberg region of the Western Cape. It was the locals of the area who first discovered that the fine, needle-like leaves of the Aspalathus linearis plant made a tasty, aromatic tea. It was they who first harvested the wild-growing plants, chopped them with axes and then bruised them with hammers, leaving them to ferment in heaps, before drying them in the sun. Today Rooibos is still processed in much the same way, but of course the methods are more mechanised and refined.

In 1904, Benjamin Ginsberg, a Russian immigrant and pioneer in the area, became interested in Rooibos and realised its marketing potential. He started trading it from the people of the mountains. No doubt the fact that Ginsberg was descended from a family who had been in the tea industry in Europe for centuries, provided him with a good background and the necessary experience to market this new "Mountain tea".

However, Rooibos Tea's tremendous worldwide success today is a contribution from the vision, tireless, perseverance and dedication of Dr. Pieter Le Fras Nortier. His mission to benefit mankind worldwide through Rooibos inspired local farmers to begin large-scale cultivation, heralding a new era for the industry. With Dr. Nortier's breakthrough, Rooibos Tea now flourishes globally.

Dr. Nortier's accomplishments during his lifetime are most impressive:-

1884
Born April 13, this famed doctor and nature lover studied Medical Science in Stellenbosch University, winning the Rhodes Scholarship which took him to Oxford University in 1905.
1908
Went to Liverpool University.
1911
Received Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB).
1914
Served as Captain in the SA Medical Corps.
1917
Became a district surgeon and married Agatha Kruger.
1929
Did research on Rooibos Tea with Oloff Bergh
1930
Discovered the value of Rooibos as an agricultural product.
1948
Received an honorary doctorate, Dr. S. Agria, from Stellenbosch University.
1954
The Minister of Agriculture appointed the Rooibos Tea Control Board, with the defined goals of regulating marketing, stabilising prices, and improving and standardising quality.
1955
Passes away on April, and laid on rest on his farm in Westside. Given a posthumous honorary doctorate of D. Sc. M.D from Cape Town University.
 

In recognition of his outstanding contribution, on September 28, 1947, the Sunday Tribune paid him glowing tribute with the words, "SA Doctor discovers Nature's most exclusive secret. The laird of Clanwilliam who allied botany with medicine found a life, work and happiness in the study of both."


Ms. Neste Mouton

I am proud that my father's efforts in making Dr. Nortier's Rooibos Tea known to the world has brought great satisfaction to the health conscious and tea connoisseurs all around the world. It is also heartening to know that a Museum has been built on his name and his vision, in Malaysia, the first and only in the world!