Carmién celebrates a quarter of a century
Surviving in the rooibos tea industry has required much adaptability and development, but the founder and managing director of Carmién Tea, Mientjie Mouton, says their values are the same as they were in 1998: “Our clients are most important, our environment is most important and our people are most important.”
The story of Carmién Tea begins in an old farm shop on Brakfontein Estate near Citrusdal, in the foothills of the Cederberg. Before moving here, Mientjie grew up on a rooibos farm a stone’s throw away.
She recalls how a group of farm women gathered in those days to package the first Carmién tea, and how hard everyone worked to place the labels in the same position on each packet.
“The first consignment was delivered to the local Spar on a Friday. On the Monday, one of the women told the story: ‘I looked for our tea on the shelves. When I found it, the first thing I noticed was that the label on the first packet right at the front was slighly skew. I looked to see if anyone was watching, then quietly placed it right at the back.’ That was when I knew such ownership and pride would form the basis of the exciting path and future that Carmién would offer,” says Mientjie.
In 2006, the Bergendal rooibos factory, of which the farmworkers own a 50% share, came into being. This is where Carmién rooibos tea is exclusively processed and packaged. Mientjie is particularly proud of the expansion of Carmién’s footprint over the years to “familiar and unfamiliar places”.
“Whenever I see a box of Carmién on a shelf somewhere, my heart leaps with so much gratitude,” she says. “The greatest highlight over all these years remains each satisfied and happy Carmién drinker.”
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