Commitments

What are biodynamics and the Demeter certification?

Publish on 10.22.2026 by Les Jardins de Gaïa

Are you drawn to the Demeter* logo and the guarantees it offers, but aren’t quite sure what’s behind it?

Since we were the first to launch rooibos produced according to biodynamic farming standards, we felt it was important to take a closer look at one of the most comprehensive approaches to organic farming.

Faced with the limitations of industrial—or conventional—agriculture and its impacts on the climate, natural resources, and the environment, Les Jardins de Gaïa has chosen to promote the biodynamic approach.

To this end, we encourage, support, and guide producers along this path. Today, thanks to these efforts, 9.2% of our teas, herbal teas, and spices are sourced from biodynamic farming, certified by Demeter France!

From Goethe to Rudolf Steiner: An Original Approach to Observing Living Things

Observing living things to understand them and act in a way that respects their true nature: this was one of Goethe’s guiding principles throughout his life. All the qualities of living things—even subjective ones—are taken into account in his observations, particularly colors, shapes, and smells.

For Goethe, focusing solely on the quantitative aspects (measurement, weight, number) of modern science does not allow one to grasp the true nature of the thing or being being observed. Reducing living beings—including humans—to complex systems comparable to machines can lead to serious abuses: the mad cow disease crisis, sterile soils that no longer retain water, the overuse of pesticides, and the production of GMOs for purely commercial purposes…

As an heir to the thought of Goethe—whose scientific works he was commissioned to publish in 1884—Rudolf Steiner expanded upon the German thinker’s approach and described its methodological aspects in several works. The foundations of biodynamic agriculture were laid…

For Rudolf Steiner, it was unthinkable to discard all the knowledge accumulated by our ancestors—which, in the field of agriculture, dates back more than 6,000 years in Europe—under the pretext of revolutionary scientific advances.

It was in Koberwitz, in what is now Poland, in June 1924, before an audience composed mainly of farmers, that he clarified his thinking. These farmers were already questioning the intensive use of chemical fertilizers produced during World War I; they felt that the quality of their food had deteriorated and feared a decline in soil fertility.

During a series of eight lectures titled “Courses for Farmers,” he challenged the methods of modern agriculture and thus gave rise to the biodynamic movement.

Much more than just agricultural practices, biodynamics is a holistic approach to reconnecting with nature

Biodynamics is not merely a matter of agricultural techniques: it incorporates philosophical, social, economic, human, and ethical dimensions.

It respects solar and lunar rhythms, crop rotation, biotopes that promote plant growth, breeds adapted to the local climate, and maximum energy self-sufficiency on farms…

Take soil, for example: in so-called “conventional” agriculture, the soluble minerals provided by chemical fertilizers are directly transferred to plants through water. Ever-increasing amounts of fertilizer lead to the progressive deterioration of the soil. This is far from the spirit of sustainable agriculture.

Biodynamic agriculture, on the other hand, nourishes and cares for the soil and involves the judicious use of all the factors that determine its life and health. The primary goal is to stimulate the plant’s own activity by revitalizing the soil, in order to create the conditions for sustainable fertility.

Appropriate crop rotation, tilling that limits weeds, proper manuring, and adapted cultivation practices, carried out at the right time, stimulate microbial life and promote a healthy harvest. Season after season, the farmer transforms the soil that nature has provided into cultivated land with optimal fertility.

Caring for the Earth to Better Nourish People

Biodynamic farming shares many similarities with organic farming. The main difference lies in the use of preparations made from herbal infusions and decoctions. Plants such as horsetail, stinging nettle, and willow, for example, provide protection against downy mildew and allow for very limited use of copper, a fungicide that disrupts the soil’s microflora.

To produce and use these preparations most effectively, biodynamic farmers take into account the influence of the major natural rhythms of the year, the lunar month, and the day. When applied at the right time, these preparations amplify the positive interactions between the earth and the cosmos on the plants. To strengthen the above-ground parts of plants, for example, horn silica is sprayed very early in the morning, as close as possible to sunrise and during the waxing moon phase. This improves plant quality, as shown by recent research findings on grapevines.

A farming philosophy aligned with that of our producer partners

Our Demeter France-certified teas all come from India and Sri Lanka. In addition, we offer a few blended herbal teas made from plants of European origin.

In these countries, influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism, organic and then biodynamic farming first gained traction in the 1980s as economic solutions before becoming a matter of course for some. Certain foundations of biodynamics align with religious values, astrological practices, traditional medicine, and Ayurveda—all of which play a prominent role in the culture of these two countries.

The application of biodynamic preparations, sowing, planting, pruning, fertilization, and compost preparation can all be carried out in India.

To protect crops, liquid extracts made from local plants are used. European endemic plants required for certain preparations, such as chamomile, are either cultivated or replaced with equivalent local plants.

Currently, the Putharjhora tea garden in India, as well as those of SOFA and MOPA in Sri Lanka, are Demeter-certified. The gardens at Seeyok, Singell, and Samabeong in Darjeeling also use biodynamic practices but are not certified.

In recent years, these gardens have seen a diversification of crops (it is common for our producer partners to grow tea as well as fruits and spices), a revival of traditional farming methods, the preservation of certain species, and a commitment to ecological balance. In Darjeeling, for example, erosion caused by past intensive deforestation practices is significantly declining.

Thanks to its ability to rapidly regenerate—with minimal resources—soils degraded by years of intensive farming, biodynamics comes to the aid of small-scale farmers who have often been victims of a “green revolution” that, by damaging vast tracts of farmland, failed to live up to its promises.

But more importantly—and this is the crux of the matter—biodynamics preserves the health of our producer partners and guarantees them a quality of life that motivates them and is evident on their faces during each of our meetings. This healthy and natural way of working the land and caring for tea plants is a true source of exchange and inspiration.

Since its inception, this form of agriculture has been based on the sharing of knowledge—far removed from the concepts of patents or any other form of intellectual privatization—and thus serves as a vehicle for connection and sharing that transcends borders and reconnects us with our humanity.

The first rooibos produced using biodynamic farming methods in South Africa

Since 2017, under the leadership of Arlette Rohmer, founder of Les Jardins de Gaïa, who has always seen Wupperthal as an ideal place to develop biodynamic agriculture, 26 farmers from the local rooibos cooperative have been producing our Demeter-certified rooibos.

They received training at the Demeter training center in Stellenbosch, and it is on the Vaalheuning high plateau in the Cederberg—in the heart of a protected “floral kingdom”—that this first rooibos, cultivated according to the principles of biodynamic agriculture, naturally develops its strength and richness.

We are proud to be the only ones able to offer you this Demeter-certified rooibos, which embodies all the magic of a terroir that is truly close to our hearts!

If this article has sparked your interest in learning more, please feel free to contact the MABD (Biodynamic Agriculture Movement).

*Registered as early as 1932, the Demeter label refers to the goddess of fertility and mother of the Earth in Greek mythology. Demeter is the mark that identifies products derived from biodynamic agriculture. A Demeter-certified product meets the requirements of the European regulation on organic agriculture and also complies with the specific standards of biodynamics.