Your North American Rooibos specialists.

We're Aalia and Vimal, co-founders of The Red Tea Co. We import the highest grade, single-origin, long-cut loose-leaf Rooibos from the Cederberg, because we couldn't find it here and we wanted it every day.

How it started

From 2013 to 2020 we lived and worked across the African continent, exploring with all our senses and drinking some of the best locally grown teas and coffees on the planet.

Rooibos was the one we came back to. Every day, in every home, at every hour.

A wedding brunch in Vancouver

At our 2018 wedding brunch we gave every guest a taste of our life on the continent and of Vimal's home country: a jar of premium Rooibos from the Cederberg.

The response caught us off guard. Guests wanted refills. So did their families. People were still asking a year later.

"Where can we get more?"

Ubuntu

We founded The Red Tea Co. together in 2021, after moving back to Vancouver.

We run it on Ubuntu, a Nguni Bantu concept from the Zulu and Xhosa people of South Africa. It translates as "I am because we are". It's the belief that we're connected through a shared humanity, and it's why a cup of tea is rarely just a cup of tea.

Vimal

Born and raised in South Africa, surrounded by the best Rooibos in the world. When he moved to Canada in 2019 he saw the gap immediately. Rooibos here came in tea bags filled with short cuts or tea dust, sometimes with added flavourings or fillers. As a proud South African, and now a Canadian too, he knew North America deserved better.

Aalia

Born in Canada with East African and Indian roots, raised on chai and black teas: bold, creamy, full-bodied. Caffeine-sensitive because of chronic pain, she spent years looking for a caffeine-free cup that actually satisfied. Work took her to South Africa often, and that's where she found Rooibos. It had the richness of black tea and none of the caffeine. She also found Vimal.

Building the caffeine-free category

We started The Red Tea Co. because the caffeine-free category was badly served in North America. The options were flavoured herbal blends with no body, or tea-dust Rooibos hidden inside plastic-laden tea bags.

We knew our loose-leaf Rooibos could change that. Bold enough for milk. Naturally sweet. Full of antioxidants. Powerful and gentle at the same time.

What keeps us going

Running this company means we get to bring people to the same table, caffeine-sensitive or not, five years old or seventy-five. It's for everyone, at any time of day.

How we source it  ·  What Rooibos actually is  ·  Shop the blends