Superfood ‘pink espresso’ produced from South African tea takes off globally

On a sun-parched plateau, excessive in South Africa’s rugged Cederberg mountains, Boltwin Tamboer harvests rooibos tea in a lot the identical means his forefathers would have performed. Watched over by a cave adorned with 6,000-year-old depictions of elephants and winged drugs males, he slices by way of a fistful of the hardy shrub with a deft flick of his sickle earlier than stashing the metre-long (3.3 foot) stems between his legs.

Working in 40-degree warmth, he’ll harvest between 300-600 kg (661-1,323 lbs) of moist tea each day for the following two months. A few of this crop can be used as conventional tea. And, due to the expansion of a newly imagined beverage, some will find yourself, curiously, in espresso machines.

Tamboer’s San (often known as Bushmen) ancestors had been the primary to find the therapeutic properties of the yellow-flowered shrub, which grows solely within the Cederberg within the Western Cape, 250 km (155 miles) from Cape City. The Europeans who arrived within the hostile, drought-prone area within the 18th century cultivated rooibos, or Aspalathus linearis, and introduced its pink tea to a broader market. Rooibos tea is a South African staple. Each kitchen within the nation boasts a field of the soothing brew that’s typically given to colicky infants and drunk – with a great deal of milk and sugar – at church gatherings and PTA conferences.

However rooibos has by no means been thought of an thrilling or fashionable beverage. Husband and spouse group Pete and Monique Ethelston determined to vary that whereas on a life-altering journey. After studying that the standard tea was able to extra depth and flavour and will even be used as a espresso substitute, or a sort of pink “espresso”, they started a enterprise that will change the way in which folks noticed and skilled rooibos.

To start with

Pete and Monique acquired married “pretty late in life”, they are saying. Each had established profitable careers – Pete as a marketing consultant working for firms like Coca-Cola, and Monique as a model supervisor at Unilever and native distilling behemoth Distell. Issues veered from the script when Pete satisfied his bride to affix him on an prolonged honeymoon to Nepal and Tibet. Awed by their environment, they discovered themselves grappling with some large life questions. “In our company lives, we had this nagging feeling that we weren’t doing folks or the planet a lot good,” says Pete.

This existential disaster was answered in a Kathmandu web cafe when Pete obtained an electronic mail from a long-time good friend and enterprise associate (they nonetheless personal a tree nursery collectively), Carl Pretorius. The e-mail informed how Pretorius, jittery after his sixth espresso of the morning however nonetheless eager for extra, tore aside a rooibos tea bag and put the leaves by way of his dwelling espresso machine – and ended up with a tasty espresso various.

Over the following few weeks, by experimenting with the precise grind of high-quality rooibos, Pretorius was in a position to produce one thing that mimicked actual espresso – proper right down to the frothy “crema” on high – however with out the caffeine. Brewing the rooibos like espresso additionally supersizes the antioxidant kick that rooibos tea is thought for. Whereas it could not style like espresso, when topped with frothed milk and a swirl of honey it has the appear and feel of a cappuccino. “Let’s take this to market,” he wrote.

Pretorius has since exited the enterprise amicably, however from the primary day, Pink Espresso (the title they settled on), has been pushed by the Ethelstons.

“Their mixed talent units made them good for the function,” says Jeremy Sampson, a branding skilled with Model Finance Africa who has studied the Ethelsons’ enterprise strategy. “He has the finance and logistics expertise, and her advertising pedigree is outstanding,” says Sampson, including that they’ve successfully utilized their enterprise fundamentals in creating the corporate. “Spreading out into completely different merchandise and markets, and into white labelling … It’s a traditional means of doing issues. It’s the Unilever mannequin utilized to a household enterprise, and it’s completely sustainable.”

This isn’t to say that the journey has been simple. Promoting any product is difficult – but it surely’s even trickier if folks don’t perceive what you’re promoting. “Today, there’s an urge for food for espresso alternate options,” says Sampson. “However I bear in mind doing market analysis into the worldwide tea trade 20 years in the past, and rooibos wasn’t on anybody’s radar. And nobody had even heard of a superfood espresso.”

The Ethelstons understood that the one technique to persuade people who they wanted one thing like Pink Cappuccinos of their lives was to get them to truly strive them. As a substitute of attempting to interrupt into the retail market, they began knocking on cafe and restaurant doorways. Their first large break got here in 2006 when main South African grocery store Woolworths added Pink Cappuccinos to their cafe menu. Twenty years later, the connection with Woolworths has grown to incorporate retail and white labelling, with the retailer remaining an essential strategic associate.

Primarily based on the success of their signature brew, the enterprise has grown to incorporate different drinks (they now have 100 product traces) and markets – Pink Espresso has a footprint in 12 nations. The enterprise, which employs 60 folks at its head workplace in Paarl, a 45-minute drive from Cape City, supplies an earnings to an additional 20 on the tealands.

The enterprise is doubling in measurement each three years. However the most effective half, says CEO Pete Ethelston, is that “the expansion is coming throughout the board. In each native and export markets, in each meals service and retail industries. And in each our personal model and our personal label work for different manufacturers.”

Placing style first

“Our advertising technique has all the time been about placing style first,” says Monique. “We’ve now managed to interrupt into the mass retail market … However each product nonetheless begins with high quality elements and superior style.”

The couple discovered early on that high-altitude, hand-harvested rooibos tasted higher, and had been prepared to pay a premium for it. As soon as they’d settled on their most popular suppliers, they sat down with the farmers and agreed on a pricing construction primarily based on fair-trade ideas. “It was all agreed across the braai (barbecue) and sealed with a handshake,” remembers Pete. “Now, twenty years later, we’re good pals.”

Since 2015 the Ethelsons have invested in Seeds of Hope, a group upliftment program for small-scale farmers in a distant nook of the Cederberg. Residents of Heuningvlei – a 25-home Moravian mission city on the finish of an extended dust highway – can lease land from the church for a small value. “However this isn’t value a lot with out seedlings, tractors and cash,” says Pete. By serving to out with these farming requirements, and training the small-scale farmers in fashionable agricultural methods, they’ve been in a position to resurrect rooibos farming in a forgotten nook of the nation.

Extra farmers have come on board yearly, and Pink Espresso now buys round 40 tonnes of high-quality rooibos from 20 completely different subsistence farmers yearly – about 20 p.c of their annual wants. The remaining 80 p.c is bought from the native farmer who employs Boltwin Tamboer.

One of many first farmers to affix the Seeds of Hope mission was Barend “Ghal” Ockhuis, who, due to the fair-trade costs paid by Pink Espresso, has managed to interchange his horse-drawn cart with a second-hand Toyota.

Ghal has lived in Heuningvlei all his life and has been farming – beans, rooibos, sheep – since he left college. However “every thing has modified,” Ghal says, “since Pink Espresso began to offer me seedlings and plough my land.”

In trade for his two tonnes of tea, Ghal receives an annual lump-sum fee – a sum his mother and father and grandparents may solely have dreamed of. “I’m a businessman,” says Ockhuis. “I can take care of a household.” And he isn’t alone. For the primary time in a long time, the chance to promote tea to Pink Espresso at above-market costs is giving the youth of Heuningvlei a cause to not transfer to town for work.

One drink at a time

Earlier than proving there was a marketplace for their product, the corporate invested closely (“cash we didn’t have,” says Pete) in mental property rights, securing worldwide emblems for names like Pink Espresso and Pink Cappuccino, and patents for his or her grind. At Monique’s insistence, additionally they employed costly, top-tier designers for his or her logos and branding. “We’ve all the time had an enormous model really feel,” says Pete. “Even after we had been a tiny operation working out of our storage.”

Their dedication to punch above their weight paid off. In 2008, Pink Espresso was voted Finest New Product by the Speciality Espresso Affiliation of America. Following this, they obtained gives from retailers together with Complete Meals – however Pete and Monique didn’t really feel prepared. On the time, they solely offered floor tea, which they believed would have been misplaced within the sea of retail. “Nobody would have recognized what to do with it,” laughs Monique.

So, in 2014 they moved forward, starting with Nespresso-compatible capsules. In 2017, they launched a variety of superfood lattes (turmeric, matcha and beetroot), and now, seven years later, scorching chocolate and chai are additionally main elements of their enterprise.

It’s not simple for a small enterprise to interrupt into mass retail, however Pete says their “level of distinction” has all the time been their gourmand merchandise and innovation. They had been the primary firm to introduce vegan chai and scorching chocolate powders in South Africa, for instance.

Whereas the corporate has made vital efforts to advance its personal prospects, it has additionally benefited from the worldwide shift in direction of well being and wellness – anticipated to be a $7-trillion world trade by 2025. “We used to have a tough time convincing folks to strive our product,” says Monique. “However we now discover shoppers and cafes very open to the thought of caffeine-free drinks produced from more healthy elements.”

Nevertheless, there have been many hurdles – not least the microeconomic challenges of doing enterprise in South Africa. “Loadshedding”, the South African authorities’s time period for scheduled energy cuts, and delivery delays attributable to crippling backlogs at South African ports have each proved to be a significant problem and expense. All that is compounded by the “challenges going through any model: to maintain on resonating, carry on being related, carry on evolving”, says Sampson.

Protecting it within the household

The agency has navigated these challenges to realize a formidable 30 p.c progress every year (although, Pete grumbles, they’ll seemingly want new premises quickly). They’ve managed this whereas remaining 100% family-owned – regardless of sturdy curiosity from established beverage trade gamers and enterprise capitalists.

“We all the time sit and speak with potential buyers,” reveals Pete. “However we hold coming again to ‘what would they offer us?’ The principle factor an investor would deliver is acceleration. But when we grew any quicker, one thing must give … And I already don’t have numerous hair. There’s numerous freedom on the subject of staying in command of your individual future.”

One cause they’re content material to proceed independently is their built-in succession plan. Whereas their very own kids are nonetheless at school, Monique’s youthful siblings – Nic Reid (with the agency since day one) and Kirsty Reid – and Nic’s spouse Joanne all maintain key roles within the enterprise.”

There’s additionally a tradition of selling workers from the manufacturing unit ground into administration roles. For instance, Antonio Suse began as a basic blender in 2021 and has risen to the place of manufacturing supervisor. “I’ve learnt expertise which I can use wherever on the earth,” he says. “And I’ve obtained an enormous monetary increase … Now I can do extra for my daughter.”

Suse is on no account distinctive: “All of our supervisors began out on the ground,” says Monique, including that the corporate’s extraordinarily low workers turnover price (lower than 5 p.c yearly for the final 10 years) speaks for itself.

Investing a lot in folks is not any simple job. “Going from 30 folks to 60 folks seems like way more than doubling,” says Monique, who says she spends 80 per cent of her time on HR. However they wouldn’t need it every other means. “Typically I pinch myself after I see these big vans pull up at our manufacturing unit,” says Pete. “It’s acquired larger than I ever imagined. However the ethos and the tradition of our enterprise hasn’t modified a bit.”

He’s referring to their perception that enterprise can profit each the planet and other people, as proven by their gold standing on the distinguished SEDEX accreditation, for accountable and moral enterprise practices throughout the provide chain – a recognition usually achieved by a lot bigger firms.

Yearly Pink Espresso vegetation endangered Clanwilliam cedars close to Heuningvlei. And their manufacturing unit in Paarl was constructed with the atmosphere in thoughts. Insulated constructing blocks and double glazing cut back the necessity for air con. Large tanks acquire rainwater, which is used for flushing the bathrooms and scrubbing the flooring, and over 70 per cent of their power wants are met by rooftop photo voltaic panels.

Whereas Pete and Monique say they continue to be absolutely dedicated to the enterprise, they’re attempting to transition away from day-to-day operations. “We love travelling and we actually just like the folks we work with. It might be nice to spend extra time with key accounts and the farmers, and visiting export markets,” says Monique. “Pete is greatest at relationships, so he must get on the market. The true problem is discovering the folks to ensure every thing runs easily again dwelling.”

Pete agrees. “Spending extra time on the highway dovetails with the place we’re in our lives. Our youngsters have virtually completed college, so we’re going to be empty-nesting quickly. I’ve by no means been that man who’s dying to play golf each day,” he laughs. “Work is a large a part of our lives and our marriage, so let’s discover the elements we like to do and get caught in …”

They’re already placing this mindset into motion. Just lately, Pete took their eldest daughter on a gross sales journey to Germany and the couple has plans to go to the Center East quickly. Additionally they admit to wanting every week to “swap off from all of it” on the tea lands. “Outdoors of harvest, it’s the most magical, stress-free place.”