Starbucks and Nestlé fuel rooibos demand
Rooibos output has skyrocketed in the past decade due to increasing popularity among health-conscious consumers and interest from companies like Starbucks and Nestlé. The caffeine-free herbal tea is grown exclusively in South Africa and now represents an estimated 10 percent of the herbal tea market and 1 percent of the global tea market, valued at $23 billion. Production of the crop more than tripled to 14,000 metric tons in the past decade as 600 or so growers expanded rooibos plantings to meet demand from biggest export markets, such as Germany, the Netherlands, UK and the US. Red bush tea became popular because, like green tea, it contains antioxidants, calcium and fluoride, yet is caffeine-free.