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The Carmién Tea Story, from Crop to Cup

Carmién Tea was founded by South African entrepreneur, Mientjie Mouton, the current Managing Director. As a proudly female-founded company, top management currently consists of 90% women with the second generation being involved in the family business for up to 12 years ensuring a solid succession plan.

Mientjie grew up on a rooibos-producing farm outside of the small town of Citrusdal in the Western Cape of South Africa. Growing up amongst the rooibos fields, she saw great potential in this miracle plant. Shortly after deregulating the South African agricultural industry, Carmién Tea Pty Ltd was registered in 1999 where the company started exporting rooibos tea globally.

Her experience with international tea companies inspired Mientjie to develop rooibos-based tea blends which did not exist at that stage – it was predominantly available in its pure form on retailer shelves. Today, the Carmién Rooibos tea range has expanded greatly with more than 40 rooibos-based teas in its collection, along with various rooibos-based speciality products.

Apart from noticing the potential and versatility of rooibos and all its natural benefits, Mientjie wanted to create a company that makes a difference on the ‘ground’ level and has an economic impact on everyone involved in the cost chain. Since its inception, Carmién Tea and its producer shareholders invested greatly in the training and development of farm workers and the upliftment of communities where rooibos tea is grown, while actively striving to create sustainable jobs.

With the expansion of Carmién Tea, a dedicated tea factory, Bergendal Rooibos Pty Ltd, was established in 2006 for the processing and packing of rooibos. With her partners, Mientjie guided the formation of Bergendal Rooibos, the exclusive factory for Carmién Tea, of which 50% is owned by farm workers.

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Carmién Organic Rooibos 4 x 40s

Carmién Organic Rooibos Tea is a superior, well-balanced tea with a natural full aroma and soft, sweet taste - the perfect way to relax and unwind during your day.

We bring you organically grown rooibos directly from the farm. Organic farming is free of chemicals, helping to prevent residue build-up in the body and the environment. Rooibos naturally contains no kilojoules or caffeine. It’s excellent when on a low-kilojoule diet and a must for the health and fitness conscious.

HOT BREW TEA

Use one teabag for every 250ml boiling water using a cup or teapot. Steep for 5-10 min or to taste. Enjoy with or without milk, sugar/honey, or a slice of lemon. Best enjoyed at 60° C. Important notice: Take care while working with boiling water.

HOT BREW ICE TEA

Use 1 teabag for every 250ml boiling water in a jug. Steep for 10 minutes or more. For a stronger infusion, steep overnight and/or add extra teabags. Remove the teabags and chill. Serve with ice. (Optional: add fruit juice, mint, and/or lemon to taste.)

Enjoy even more benefits from rooibos: spoil yourself with a relaxing rooibos bath!

Add 20 teabags per standard bathtub (approximately 300 litres). Let it soak for 10-20min in warm water while filling up the tub. Remove the teabags before getting into the bath, or keep them in for a stronger infusion.

NOTE: Carefully dispose of the teabags and rinse your body and bathtub with clean water after taking a bath to avoid stains on clothes and towels.

Carmién Cold Brew 20s

Carmién Cold Brew Rooibos Teas are a refreshing lifestyle to enjoy on the go. Cold brew teas are specially developed to be used in cold water. Using cold water instead of hot water extracts more of the flavours, but slower, over time. The result? A smooth, sweeter tea. This is because cold water extracts a different chemical balance from the tea than hot water. Simply add a teabag or two to your water bottle or travel cup and enjoy a hydrating, healthy alternative to sweet sugary cordials and fruit juices.

Carmién Apple Mint flavoured cold brew rooibos tea is a delicious burst of crisp apple flavours with a hint of mint that steeps quickly to a beautiful golden yellow.

Carmién Apricot Blossom flavoured cold brew rooibos tea is a deliciously sweet-tasting blend of apricot and fruity notes of apple, hibiscus, and rosehip.

Carmién Cranberry Hibiscus flavoured cold brew rooibos tea is a refreshing, well-balanced sweet-tart blend of berry flavours with dried berry and hibiscus pieces. The beautiful pink-red infusion adds to the enjoyment.

Carmién Coco Pine is a deliciously smooth, naturally sweet-tasting pineapple-flavoured tropical blend with coconut.

COLD BREW TEA

Use 1 teabag for every 250ml cold or room temperature water using a jug, water bottle or travel cup. Steep for 10 min to max 30 min. Stir or shake in between. Remove tea bags. Enjoy with or without ice. Refrigerate and use within 24 hours.

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Carmién Fruit & Herbal Infusions Gift Box

Beauty and taste combine in our Carmién Fruit & Herbal Infusions Gift Box filled with 6 delicious rooibos tea blends. Each tea is packed in see-through pyramid teabags showing the various coarse-cut floral, fruity or spicy rooibos blends. Pyramid teabags allow for more direct contact with hot water giving increased flavour and quicker brewing. A must-have gift to spoil yourself or someone else.

The gift box includes the following teas:

Carmién Orange Chamomile is a blend of green rooibos, green honeybush and camomile. The camomile blends beautifully with the slightly perfumed flavour of bergamot orange and creamy vanilla. A calming and relaxing blend to enjoy before bedtime. Our Orange Chamomile blend received the Paris Gourmet Bronze award at the 2023 AVPA 6th Teas of the World contest.

Carmién Tropical Burst is a slightly sweeter blend of rooibos and tropical fruits with a delicious summery hint of mango. Excellent when cooled down and served as an iced tea.

Carmién Turkish Delight is a refreshing blend of green rooibos and rose petals with a delicate rose flavour reminiscent of Turkish Delight sweets. A fragrant, smooth-tasting blend to enjoy any time of day. Our Turkish Delight blend received a Paris Gourmet Award at the 2022 AVPA 5th Teas of the World contest.

Carmién Citrus Chai is a flavoursome combination of rooibos and a lightly spicy, chai blend. Visually pleasing in beautiful pyramid teabags with calendula flower petals adding a yellow colour. An excellent tea to serve with wine and food.

Carmién Floral Berry is our popular blend of rooibos, hibiscus, and rose petals with fruity forest berries. Hibiscus provides a slightly tart taste and a pinkish cup infusion. A calming fruity drink. Rose petals and cornflowers add to the beautiful visual experience.

Carmién Creamy Mint is a smooth-tasting blend of green rooibos with a hint of refreshing spearmint. Vanilla adds extra creaminess to the classic mint taste. Green rooibos bring out this beautiful blend of flavour and taste. A great everyday tea and an appetising tea before meals that also acts to cleanse the palate before or after meals.

HOT BREW TEA

Use 1 teabag for every 250 ml boiling water using a cup, or teapot. Steep for 5-10 min or to taste. Enjoy with or without milk, honey/sugar or a slice of lemon. Best enjoyed at 60° C. Hot brewed tea chilled, with ice, makes a delicious iced tea. Important notice: Take care while working with boiling water.

COLD BREW TEA

Use 2 teabags for every 250 ml of cold water using a jug, water bottle or travel cup. Steep for 10 min. Leave teabags in. Refrigerate and use within 24 hours.

Optional serving suggestions: Add fruit juice or honey/sugar if a sweeter iced tea is preferred. Garnish with mint and/or a slice of fresh lemon.

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Processes, Quality and Certifications

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The Carmién tagline 'Growing Goodness' refers to the commitment to always deliver a product that is of the highest quality and exceeds the expectations of our clients across the globe. The entire process from growing the product in the fields to developing the best taste and flavour is controlled by strict processes and measures.

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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 keeping its farms and work methods earth-friendly and safe.

To keep a consistent quality and the best flavour we adhere to the following international certifications and get audited by all these certification bodies regularly.

These certifications and accreditations include:

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Quality is of utmost importance to Carmién Tea. We have strict quality control measures and full traceability in place at each step. Learn more about our processes and quality guarantee:

View in English | View in Japanese

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CSR & Sustainability

Together with our producer shareholders, the Mouton Family (Mouton Holdings) and the Van Zyl family (C.P van Zyl Trust), the Mouton Foundation and the Bergendal Worker Trust, the company represents more than 600 workers who are active shareholders in Carmién Tea. They benefit from every box of Carmién Tea that is sold, along with more than 5,000 dependents.

Carmién Tea, together with the Mouton Foundation and Bergendal Foundation, are also actively involved with community development, particularly women and childcare.

Our key actions during the 2023 calendar year included (data recorded December 2023):

  • 3 Early Childhood Development Centres accommodating 129 children.
  • 3 Afterschool Clubs accommodating 229 children.
  • A preschool classroom to accommodate young babies and breastfeeding mothers.
  • 1 Full-time Registered Professional Nurse and Programme Manager
  • 1 Seasonal Locum Registered Professional Nurse (April – September)
  • 1 Full-time Healthcare Worker
  • A mobile clinic that visits different farm areas daily and a clinic operated by the seasonal locum nurse. 7171 visits were made to the clinics in 2023.
  • Doctor referrals are subsidised by 50%
  • Family planning services and chronic medication are provided by the Department of Health and are free of charge
  • 287 chronic patients are monitored, about 22% of these are non-working community members (mostly retired), 3% are seasonal and 75% are permanent
  • Breast Cancer Awareness examinations and pap smears supported by CANSA