Corporate Social Responsibility

Carmién Cares

At Carmién Tea we dream, work, measure our progress, and set new goals. Focused leadership and good management ensure that we can prioritise the training and development of our people. We are always striving to improve our efficiency and productivity. In the end, we create wealth and a better future for all. Read on to learn more about our project and initiatives.

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Carmién is committed to quality products, freshness and exceptional taste.

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Carmién is committed to the well-being of its workforce and local communities.

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Carmién is committed to producing rooibos products with various health benefits directly from the farm.

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Carmién is committed to keeping its farms and work methods earth-friendly and safe.

GOING GREEN

• All pillow teabags have been replaced with Bioweb, a plastic free, compostable material and our pyramid teabags are made of PLA compostable material.

• All recyclable outer packaging is now FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified. This means that for every tree used to provide paper, a new one will be planted.

• Printing inks comply with environmental protection and consist of materials that are derived from renewable raw materials.

• Glues used are non-toxic, non-flammable (wet state) and suitable for indirect food contact.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

• All shareholder farms (Mouton Holdings & Bergendal) are Fairtrade Accredited and do community projects that support communities working and living on the farms.

• Funds are managed by Democratically Elected Workers Committees & Project Suggestions comes from Communities.

• Carmien also supports community development projects in the poor township area of Citrusdal through an organisation called HUG (Help Us Grow).

EDUCATION & YOUTH

• 3 Early Child Development Centers (139 children between the ages of 3 month 5 years)

• 3 Afterschool Clubs (226 school children)

• Holiday Programs

• Facilitators are from local communities. They are supervised and trained by Specialists Teachers from the NPO Pebbles Project.

• Support Youth Groups & Career Club

• Supporting local schools through donations, facilities renovations and transport of school children

• Sponsoring Tertiary Studies for two of our students

HEALTH & NUTRITION

• Free basic health services and subsidised doctor's visits.

• Full time Nurse Practitioner Mobile Clinic

• 5 Trained Community Health Workers

• On Farm Health Posts (mini clinics)

• Preventative Health Education for Communities

• Screening for HIV / TB and other chronic diseases

• Maternal, Infant Care and Immunisations

• See a reduction in absenteeism and work efficiency

• Nutrition programmes in education centres

• Youth educational sessions providing information on HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases

TRAINING

• Life Skills: Personal Finance, Substance Abuse, Cross Cultural Language Skills, Parenting, Community Leadership, Health Awareness, Literacy Classes, Computer Training

• Capacity Building: Technical, Personal Hygiene, Workplace Safety, Advanced Management, Chemical Handling, First Aid, Committee Training

• Shareholding: Basic Business Principals, Leadership, Public Communication Skills

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

• Bergendal Rooibos: 50% Worker Ownership in Rooibos Processing Facility with 148 Beneficiaries

• Mgro Trust: 12.5% Ownership in Mouton Holdings (main shareholder in Carmien), all permanent employees (+401)

• Annual dividends ensure direct and effective economic empowerment through rooibos sales