Cape Fynbos Tea Adds Honeybush to South Africa’s Growing Herbal Tea Industry
31 August 2022 – Within a year of launching its first fynbos tea range, a start-up called Cape Fynbos Tea has already captured the interest of the wellness industry – including Faithful to Nature and the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) – affirming the interest in the tea market for the medicinal properties of South Africa’s indigenous fynbos species.
#LowerCancerRisk #CANSASmart Choice #capefynbostea
In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic halted numerous South African industries, yet tea exports amounted to 23.6 million US dollars, marking the country as the world’s 31st largest tea exporter. From 2019 to 2020, tea was one of South Africa’s fastest-growing industries and one of the country’s most exported products.
Having grown up in the Cape Fynbos region, Cape Fynbos Tea’s founder, Alex Jordaan, saw the potential to capture and share the essence of the region’s unique botanical landscape with herbal tea lovers, while contributing to the tea industry’s economic incline, job creation and overall awareness of Fynbos’ health attributes.
The Honeybush Tea range is Cape Fynbos Tea’s flagship line. Its quick uptake by the conscious retailer, Faithful to Nature, as well as its recent seal of recognition by CANSA stands testament to the brew’s health benefits and clean ingredients. Derived from the Cyclopia plant – which grows in the Western Cape’s fynbos biome – Honeybush tea is often likened to Rooibos tea which is a different Fynbos specie. Honeybush is slightly sweeter, has unique veld aromas, and has distinct health benefits.
Cape Fynbos Tea’s Honeybush Tea is the first Honeybush tea to be granted the CANSA Smart Choice Seal of Recognition (CSoR). Kudzai Nyaruve, CANSA’s Seal of Recognition coordinator comments, “We are excited to have this sustainable and locally grown tea join our basket of CANSA Smart Choice Seal products. CANSA aims to identify products free of carcinogens and/or products with particular cancer risk reduction properties.”
“Our total daily fluid intake and hydration play an important role in our energy and nutrient intake and our overall health. Adequate and regular intake of fluid including options such as our caffeine-free Cape Fynbos Tea’s Honeybush Tea not only helps keep us hydrated but offers numerous added potential health benefits,” says Megan Pentz-Kluyts, CANSA’s nutrition and dietetics consultant.
“Fynbos has been steeped in my DNA as long as I can remember,” says Jordaan. “I grew up learning about its diversity. A few years ago, I rekindled my love for its edible and medicinal qualities. It was a natural inclination to research the plant species, expand my network and develop a local tea with natural remedial benefits.”
The research results were compelling enough for Jordaan – who has been in construction for nearly 25 years – to use his entrepreneurial flair to bring the health benefits of indigenous fynbos teas to consumers.
“The journey to bring Cape Fynbos Tea to life has been an organic process,” says Jordaan. “It was a brand-new industry to me and managing its problem-solution dynamic remains a learning curve. Accepting help has been another lesson I can vouch for. If you don’t try, you can’t succeed. Launching a venture means sourcing skills as you go. Today I’m confident I won’t exchange the independence, freedom, and responsibility of building a relevant and much-loved, proudly South African product for anything.”
Cape Fynbos Tea is harvested from an ethically recognised and sustainably conditioned farm. For Jordaan, remaining uncompromisingly committed to biodynamic farming and environmentally friendlier paper packaging is fundamental to his growth plans for the tea range. In addition to Cape Fynbos Tea’s current Honeybush Tea range, Jordaan plans to introduce a Rooibos & Green Honeybush Tea within the next year. Strong inroads are also being made to extend the range to a number of local and international wellness outlets.
Cape Fynbos Tea’s Honeybush Tea is priced from R60 per box of 20 tea bags. Order online directly from Cape Fynbos Tea or find it at Faithful to Nature.
For more information, visit www.capefynbostea.co.za and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
About Cape Fynbos Tea:
Cape Fynbos Tea is a South African herbal tea producer specialising in the Fynbos variety. It was founded by Cape Town resident and entrepreneur, Alex Jordaan in September 2021. Its flagship line, Honeybush Tea is currently available from its e-commerce site www.capefynbostea.co.za, Faithful to Nature stores, and various other outlets. Awarded CANSA’s seal of recognition, Cape Fynbos Tea supports ingredients that do not pose a cancer risk. It promotes sustainable food production, better health outcomes, education, and the appreciation of the indigenous Fynbos shrub.
