Bulk Rooibos Tea Direct From Our Farm
We offer various grades of rooibos, green rooibos, honeybush, green honeybush, buchu and a variety of other herbal tea blends and flavours. New product development and custom blends are available on request. All products are available in bulk bags, vacuum-packed, or boxed.
Grades and Cuts
Rooibos Production and Processing
Planting
Rooibos seeds are sown in nursery seed beds from February to March. After a few months, seedlings move to fields. Rooibos plants take about 18 months to grow before they are ready to be harvested for tea production.
Harvesting
Rooibos is harvested once a year in summer and early autumn, from January to April. Branches are cut 50 cm above ground, bundled into sheaves, and taken to the drying yard, ready for the next stage of tea production.
Cutting
Sheaves are machine-cut to uniform lengths of between 1.5mm and 5mm. Cuttings are then bruised to activate the natural plant phenolic activities, which develop the characteristic colour and flavour of rooibos tea.
Fermentation
After watering and airing, the now cut and bruised green rooibos is laid out in heaps for 10-14 hours, allowing natural enzymes to oxidise and ferment the plant, giving it its deep amber colour and distinctive aroma.
Green Rooibos
A portion of the harvest is set aside before fermentation. Green rooibos skips the bruising and fermentation process, making it higher in antioxidants and giving it a green, slightly sweet flavour with caramel notes.
Drying
Once fermentation is complete, rooibos is dried in the sun, sorted, and graded by length, colour, flavour, aroma, and density. The dried leaves are packed in bulk bags, labelled, and stored before further processing.
Raw Dried
Tea Grading
A trained grading team inspects and evaluates rooibos tea, carefully noting cut size, leaf length and colour, as well as the appearance, aroma, and flavour of the tea extract to ensure the highest quality is achieved.
Magnet #1
Metal Removal
After grading, rooibos tea travels over a strong 3,500-gauss magnet. This process removes any ferrous-metal contaminants that may have entered during harvesting, ensuring a pure, high-quality tea before final processing.
Rolling Sieve
The rooibos blend then moves through a drum-shaped machine covered with a special mesh. This mesh is designed to remove any unwanted sticks, stems, or large twigs, ensuring only the finest rooibos tea is selected.
Vibrating Sieve
A vibrational machine is used to filter the rooibos blend. At this stage, any remaining fine powder is removed, leaving only the desired tea particles for packaging and ensuring a clean, high-quality rooibos product.
Maxi Sieve
This is where the rooibos is sorted by cut length and size. During this stage, the highest quality tea cuts are separated out. Bulk bags are used to capture each grade of cut as it is sifted through specific channels.
Indent Sieve
During this important stage, sharp, needle-shaped rooibos cuts are separated from the superior grade cuts by the Maxi Sieve. Removing these needles prevents teabag punctures and ensures consistently smooth tea.
Blending Silo
The raw material is blended in silos equipped with augers, ensuring an even mix for consistent flavour and quality. This process is carefully managed to meet specific customer requirements and quality standards.
Pasteurisation
Rooibos is exposed to 160°C steam for 90 seconds to pasteurise it. After this, the tea is dried using hot air until the moisture content drops below 10%, ensuring a safe, shelf-stable, and quality product for export.
Magnet #2
Metal Removal
Rooibos tea first passes over a 10,000-gauss magnet to remove any ferrous-metal contaminants that may be present from harvesting, serving as an important step in ensuring product purity and safety.
Magnet #3 - Metal Removal
Before packing, rooibos tea passes over a 3,500-gauss magnet for a final safety check. This powerful magnet removes any remaining metal particles, guaranteeing the tea is clean and safe for export and consumption.
Lab Analysis
Analytical tests are conducted at our in-house laboratory and at ISO 17025:2017-accredited external labs. Each finished batch undergoes pesticide residue screening and microbial analysis to ensure top quality and safety.
Export Analysis
PPECB collects a finished batch sample and conducts an independent analysis. After the batch passes all checks, a Certificate of Analysis is issued, combining all results, and PPECB provides an Export Licence for export.
Packing and Shipping
Once approved, rooibos orders are packed and shipped to destinations worldwide. We can pack tea in various formats, including large bulk bags or private label packs, depending on our customers' specific requirements.
Storage
Rooibos keeps well for years if stored correctly. Our standard Best Before for pure rooibos is 4 years. For best quality, keep rooibos tea in a dry, room-temperature environment, away from excess moisture and humidity.
Why Choose Carmién?
At Carmién, our vision is to be the preferred sustainable Rooibos supplier, guided by a commitment to people, planet, and quality.
From crop to cup, every step of our journey is rooted in care. Our rooibos is grown, harvested, and processed with precision so each cup contains consistent flavour and freshness. Our strict controls meet international certification standards, so we can
Our Promises to You
Eco
GOODNESS
We look after the land as much as we look after our people. Half of our shareholder-producers' farmland remains wild, preserving the unique Fynbos Floral Kingdom of South Africa. Sustainable farming guides everything we do – from organic practices to water conservation.
Social
GOODNESS
We believe in uplifting our workers and their families. That’s why we support children from just 3 months old in our Early Childhood Development Centres, and offer after-school care, skills training, and social development for over 4000 beneficiaries. This means every Carmién product directly supports these communities.
Customer
GOODNESS
Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We listen carefully and are always striving to deliver the best possible Rooibos experience. Your feedback shapes our products and inspires us to keep innovating. At Carmién, our tea is made to be enjoyed by people who care about quality, taste, and wellbeing.
Flavour
GOODNESS
High-quality rooibos is naturally sweet and smooth, with no bitterness or aftertaste. At Carmién, we select only the finest leaves and process them with care, so every cup is fresh, aromatic, and full of flavour. The result is rooibos that’s bright, pure, and delicious – proof of our commitment to quality in every step from crop to cup.
Our Promises to You
Bulk Enquiries
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, Carmién is one of the largest bulk Rooibos exporters in the world.
Several factors influence prices such as the cut, volume, and certification required. The final price will be determined after establishing your specific requirements. Please use the form above to request a quote.
We offer various bulk bag sizes: 16.5kg, 18kg, 20kg, and 450kg.
For bulk raw material, the MOQ is 1 Pallet or approximately 900kg.
On average 50 x 18kg bags, depending on the cut selected.
10 pallets
20 pallets
Yes, please visit our Private Label page for more information about the service.
Yes, we sell a wide selection of Carmién and Lize Mouton Collection packed products. Please visit our Branded Products page for more information.
Yes, pesticide residue screening and microbial analysis are done on each finished batch.
Yes, visit our Certifications page for more information.
Yes, visit our Certifications page for more information.
Yes, we offer rooibos products certified according to JAS, USDA, and Ecocert Europe Organic certification standards.
Yes, we offer Green Rooibos in various cuts and grades.
Both red and green rooibos come from the same plant, but rooibos (red bush) goes through a fermentation (oxidation) process which turns the green leaves to a reddish brown colour and develops its distinctive aroma. Green Rooibos tea has a slightly sweet, mild green (grassy) taste, with caramel notes and a smooth, enjoyable mouthfeel and flavour profile, while fermented (red) rooibos has a delicate balance of sweetness on the nose, slight astringency and full, smooth mouthfeel with a fruity caramel taste, amber cup infusion and typical sweet aroma.
Yes, we sell Honeybush and Green Honeybush raw and packed material.
Rooibos is made from the leaves of the Aspalathus linearis plant, while Honeybush is made from the leaves of the Cyclopia intermedia plant. Rooibos leaves have a needle-like appearance and produce a deep red liquor when steeped. Honeybush leaves are shorter and thicker and produce a red-gold infusion when steeped. In terms of flavour, Honeybush is sweeter and fuller-bodied than Rooibos, with earthy undertones, while Rooibos has a profile flavour marked by notes of caramel, wood and nuts.
Carmién Rooibos Tea was founded in 1999. Read more about Carmién’s history here.
Yes, we produce rooibos and ship directly from our farm in the Cederberg to ensure full traceability from crop to cup.
Rooibos is indigenous to the Cederberg Region of South Africa and was awarded GI Geographical Indicator and PDO Protected Designation of Origin status by the EU. Read more here.