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in getting GI registration for the product, but it made no difference as the flavour is so internationally accepted and generic that it could not be policed.

There are also several unique South African products such as biltong (a form of dried, cured meat) and boerewors (a seasoned traditional sausage) where the opportunity for GI certification is clearly lost or unviable because they have become ubiquitous.

Dr Thomas Oosthuizen, a former African-based marketing expert now resident in the UK, says the success, or otherwise, of the ‘new’ Rooibos all depends upon how it is uniquely branded and packaged – and how its marketers take ownership of ‘rooibos’ to turn it into ‘Rooibos’.

He notes that Rooibos seems widely loved globally. But the degree to which specific brand recognition will drive sales, rather than the generic description, is unknown. It may still be the generic description that drives sales outside of the South Africa shops that sell SA-branded Rooibos widely.

“It’s extremely difficult and expensive to try and police a GI. There’s also the analogy of kiwi fruit and proteas, both of which started as export products from New Zealand and South Africa respectively, but which began being grown all over the world as they grew in popularity,” says Oosthuizen.

The GI process is expensive to enforce

Time will tell as to how significantly Geographical Indication certification has benefitted Rooibos as a brand. For other uniquely African products with less international penetration (for now), the GI opportunity may be substantial – providing they act soon and they act decisively.

Additional reporting by Mike Simpson.

Since becoming a freelance financial writer 20 years ago, Cape Town-born and LL.B graduate Eamonn Ryan has focused on the business and financial sectors, having at one time or another written for virtually every Englishlanguage daily and weekly in the country, and been editor of four trade magazines. https://www.linkedin.com/ in/eamonn-ryan-9614901a/