Ginger Lemon

Origin of ingredients

Heiveld cooperative

Terroir

The Heiveld cooperative is located in Nieuwoudtville on the Suid Bokkeveld plateau, in South Africa's Northern Cape province. This is an arid region with a steppe climate. The soils are mainly sandstone, shale and Fynbos. The region depends on underground water sources and rainfall, the latter occurring mainly in winter.

Background and challenges

In recent years, the region has suffered droughts and soil erosion due to wind and rain. These climatic phenomena have led to crop losses, threatening the food security of small-scale farmers. To adapt to climate change, the cooperative is working with scientists on soil and water conservation methods.

Community projects

The Heiveld cooperative was created in 2001 by 14 producers eager to make rooibos an empowering opportunity for the community. Known as "Gold from the Suid Bokkeveld", their rooibos is Fair Trade certified, enabling producers to benefit from a premium. In this way, the cooperative's presence has a beneficial effect on the community. For example, the cooperative has been able to finance driving licenses for community members and install a solar-powered water pump in producers' villages. The premium also makes it possible to invest in the cooperative's development and staff training.