Making the most of wild-grown honeybush

While many farmers have had their fingers burnt in the production of honeybush, the crop can be highly lucrative, and Quinton Nortjé of Melmont Honeybush Tea can attest to this. He spoke to Glenneis Kriel about how he unlocks this indigenous fynbos plant’s value.

- Quinton Nortjé

The past few years have seen growing interest in honeybush (Cyclopia spp) production, but quality and taste have not always been up to standard, resulting in poor returns. The situation was exacerbated by COVID-19-associated trade disruptions, which brought exports to an almost complete standstill.

However, Quinton Nortjé of Nooitgedacht farm, who harvests wild honeybush from the Kouga Mountain range in between the Langkloof and Baviaanskloof, is one of the few farmers who has managed to more or less continue with business as usual.

FAST FACTS

Quinton Nortjé is the third generation of his family to harvest wild honeybush from the slopes of the Kouga Mountains.

On the Nortjés’ farm, honeybush harvesting is rotated between camps as part of their sustainable production.

Their tea is branded as a way to add value and differentiate it from other products.

“Aside from a few hiccups during Level 5 of the [COVID-19-related] lockdown, we haven’t really been affected, and even employed a few extra people to alleviate the impact of the lockdown on employment in our community,” says Nortjé.

Nortjé and his wife Eunice run the business together, and ascribe their success to a combination of teamwork, a soughtafter product and a secure market.

ACCESS TO OVERSEAS MARKETS

Nooitgedacht, located near the town of Kareedouw in the Eastern Cape, has a rich history of honeybush production, and Nortjé is the third generation to harvest the plant from the wild.