Klipfontein Farm – Organic Rooibos by King’s Products in the Sandveld
Klipfontein at a glance
- Company/Farm: King’s Products (Pty) Ltd / Klipfontein Farm, founded 1996
- Location: Sandveld (West Coast, Western Cape), approx. 20 km north of Graafwater
- 🗺️ Farm on the map: Google Maps · Apple Maps · OpenStreetMap
- Scale/Farming: approx. 12,000 ha · mixed farm with sheep (plus some cattle) · rooibos exclusively organic
- Team: the van der Westhuizen family (incl. Dr. Hans van der Westhuizen) + staff from the region
- Special feature: organic pioneer: in 1997, Klipfontein was recognised as the first certified organic rooibos farm — and at the foot of the Klipfontein rock lies a rare natural spring.
More farm details (short)
Certification:
Since 1997, Klipfontein has been regarded as the first officially certified organic rooibos farm. To this day, rooibos is produced there exclusively in organic quality.
Farming/processing:
At Klipfontein you can see all steps of rooibos production and processing on site: from propagation & planting to fermentation and drying, then preparation (sorting), steam sterilisation and packaging.
Biodiversity & conservation:
Sandveld fynbos, wide open land, wind and dry summers shape everyday life. In the fields you also come across the “fire bush” (a local fynbos shrub) which Hans describes as a site indicator: where it thrives, rooibos often does well too.
Sources:
Personal on-site conversations & notes (first visit: 10/03/2023) as well as Kings Products’ own information (website: About/Contact/Process/Community).
Products from Klipfontein (King’s Products) in our shop
Note: If you’re looking for a specific Kings variety that you can’t (yet) find with us, feel free to message us — we’ll check what makes sense to add.
King’s Products online:
Klipfontein in 8 images
At the foot of the mountain
Klipfontein sits where rock gives orientation — and water becomes the decisive factor.
Rooibos across the Sandveld
Between sand, wind and a wide sky, rooibos grows here exactly where the plant feels at home.
The farm’s heartbeat
Sheep define Klipfontein — and at the trough you see how precious water is in summer.
Cattle as an addition
Alongside sheep there are also cattle — small in number, but part of the mixed farm.
Rooibos, fire bush, Klipfontein
Rooibos in front, the “fire bush” behind — and above it the Klipfontein rock: the farm in one image.
Feed is planning
Because grass alone often isn’t enough, protein-rich pellets are mixed to a farm recipe.
Technology that creates stability
Sorting, separating, working cleanly: the vibrating sieve helps with grain — and, in principle, with tea too.
From field to pack
At Klipfontein you can see every step — right through processing, quality control and packaging.
Klipfontein near Graafwater: a Sandveld farm shaped by the whole system — not a single product
When I visited Klipfontein for the first time on 10 March 2023, the Sandveld looked barren at first glance. But this very landscape explains why everything here revolves around water, timing and robust systems — from livestock to tea processing.
In the Sandveld, summers are dry, and much depends on when water is available — from dams, from planning, and in Klipfontein’s case also from a natural spring at the foot of the rock. Farming here isn’t done “against” conditions, but by building processes that still hold when things get tough.
Sheep are the foundation of Klipfontein. To help the animals through the dry season, protein-rich pellets are made to a farm recipe. Hans shows his notebook: ingredients, ratios and experience — pragmatic, precise, typical farm life.
Rooibos is an important part of this farm — but not the whole story. In 1997, Klipfontein was recognised as the first certified organic rooibos farm. And if you want, you can follow every step of production on the farm: from cultivation to fermentation and drying, then preparation, sterilisation and packaging. Along the way you notice details you don’t forget — like the “fire bush” as a site marker, or the farm stories Hans tells in passing.
That’s exactly why Klipfontein fits our idea of “Discover the people behind it”: because you feel that organic doesn’t start with a label — it starts with a system of responsibility, craftsmanship and the desire to do right by the region. And in the end, you taste it: not as a loud promise, but as a quiet consequence.