From Rooibos smoothies, iced teas and tea blends to red wine, gin, beer, biltong and skincare products – these were some of the treats that visitors to the popular Root44 market just outside Stellenbosch could taste and try out on 28 and 29 April this year. This was the second Rooibos Experience organised by the SA Rooibos Council. Rooibos Ltd also exhibited its products at this event. Rooibos Ltd’s Amor Venter, Public Liaison Officer, and Surika Baard, Marketing Assistant, represented the company at Rooibos Experience.
Says Gerda de Wet, Communication Manager at Rooibos Ltd, “In today’s experience economy, people want to engage with a company’s products in a way that is meaningful and memorable. This is exactly what Rooibos Experience is all about – bringing together a really wide range of Rooibos products for visitors to try out first-hand while talking to the product representatives. Root44 with its strong focus on quality food and its invitation to friends and families to come and experience the market provided the ideal setting for this exhibition.”
Innovative products that formed part of Rooibos Experience included Audacia’s red wine, created using Rooibos and Honeybush toasted wood chips, Stellenbrau’s Rooibos-blended lager, the Woodstock Gin Company’s Buchu and Rooibos-infused gin, Rooibos tea kombucha, RedBushed Fruit’s fruit and vegetables, Rooibos flavoured cured meats, and skincare products formulated with Rooibos extracts.
Visitors were also treated to a performance of the award-winning riel dancing group called Die Nuwe Graskoue Trappers from Wupperthal. Their dances reflected the culture and traditions of the people who came from the Cederberg region where Rooibos is grown. In addition, Larry Berger hosted masterclasses to promote his award-winning aperitif, the Spirit of Rooibos, which was first distilled in a steel water geyser.
