Le 'thé rouge rooibos' d'Afrique du Sud : défi pour l'exportation d'un nouveau produit

SAD CT3International audienceRooibos is the Afrikaans word for 'red bush'. Commonly used as a tea, rooibos refers to a group of more than 200 endemic species that belong to the Aspalathus plant group originating in the Cedarberg Mountains of South Africa. Over 16 species are collected from the wild and only the species, Aspalathus linearis, is cultivated. This case study focuses on the production and marketing of rooibos, which are largely dominated by large companies. However, cooperatives of indigenous communities who use traditional cultivation and processing methods are emerging as new models of successful business. Since international demand for rooibos tea is increasing, other countries might try to imitate the production. We ask how this product and its markets might be protected against this through a geographical indication. We also assess the options for benefit sharing between large and small-scale producers