A ROOIBOS producer SAYS
Groenkol Rooibos Tea Estate has been the home of the Engelbrecht family for three generations. Here the whole rooibos cycle takes place on the farm – from the sowing of the seeds in the nursery to packaging teabags in cartons and marketing it abroad. Richard Terblanche, estate manager, shares more about their single-origin rooibos tea.
Groenkol Rooibos Estate has a long history in the rooibos industry.
The farm was originally part of Zeekoevlei that was bought in 1956 by Willie Engelbrecht. He left the Groenkol part of Zeekoevlei to his heir, Oubaas Engelbrecht. Oubaas was well known for the implements he built, and some of the technology he introduced to the rooibos industry is still used to this day. One of his most significant patents was the first mechanical rooibos harvester called the Van Rheenen, named after a farm worker whose family has been tilling the lands and living on Groenkol for more than four generations. I became part of the estate’s management in 2019, after which Willem (Oubaas’ son) emigrated to New
