The Mission of the Heiveld Cooperative is to produce and market the finest organic rooibos tea at fair prices on behalf of the members and thereby create a better life for small-scale farmers and other members of the community.

The Heiveld Cooperative is a member-owned business based on agroecological principles that processes and markets organic and fair-trade certified rooibos tea produced by its members. The primary business of the Cooperative is to process and market the organic and Fairtrade certified rooibos tea of its members to trading companies, most of which are in the global north. In order to support its primary business and achieve its mission, the Heiveld provides a number of supplementary services to its members including training in organic and sustainable production, provision of organic farming inputs, and an internal organic control system. Practices used by Heiveld farmers to improve soil and water management include the establishment of mulched and vegetated buffer zones, mulching the rooibos fields, using cereals as nursery crops in cultivated rooibos lands, and construction of contour bunds in cultivated lands and on roads to enhance infiltration of rainwater and prevent soil erosion.

This sheet is produced within the framework of the Avaclim project, which aims to create the necessary conditions for the deployment of agroecology in drylands. The international solidarity association CARI coordinates the Avaclim project while Environmental Monitoring Group (EMG) is in charge of its implementation in South Africa.