Wupperthal Original Rooibos Cooperative
The Wupperthal Original Rooibos Co-operative (WORC), a democratically organized group of small-scale farmers who have grown rooibos in South Africa for generations. Small-scale farmers are very rare in the plantation-dominated rooibos industry and make up less than five percent of all rooibos grown. These farmers were pushed off of their land in the 1800s and later endured apartheid. They now grow food in the very dry, rocky soil of the Cedarberg Mountains which presents a big challenge for most of their crops. With Rooibos, however, the slower growth and lower production have resulted in notably higher quality tea compared to plantation Rooibos which is grown on the most fertile lands. Today, the vast majority of rooibos production is on plantations with white landowners, making Wupperthal a true gem in a rocky landscape.
