 | Impact, special achievements & commitments | | | Khoisan Gourmet a division of Libstar Operations (Pty) Ltd is based in Cape Town, South Africa.
We specialize in premium quality bulk Rooibos tea. This is available under various certifications like EU & NOP Organic, JAS Organic, Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, UTZ, Fair for Life, Halaal & Kosher. Our company is also fully HACCP food hygiene and safety certified. Our aim is to be ISO45000 and ISO14001 compliant by end 2020.
We adhere to the prescribed Labor and Environmental Laws of South Africa, thus ensuring we promote fair labor practices in terms of our workforce as well as the environment.
Through our various CSR/Fairtrade certifications we endeavour to empower the whole supply chain (eg. we pay pension and social security benefits to our workers and premiums to the Fairtrade producers’ workers). In addition to providing a safe workplace to our workers, we also provide them with skills to empower them to compete in the workforce market (eg. in 2019 15 workers attended a one-year Generic Management course, taking 4 paid working days every second week to attend; for 2019-2020 we have three learnerships in Wholesale & Retail Distribution NQF level 2 including gathering of work experience at our premises).
As from beginning of 2019 we identified two disabled workers for a yearly learnership (i.e. we are paying for their Wholesale & Retail Distribution NQF level 2 training). This is done to uplift disadvantaged groups to become economically self-reliant.
In order to support our Rooibos farmers and their workers we encourage them to become Fair for Life certified so that they can reap the benefits - like being well looked after under the Fair for Life standard (costs of which we pay) and also giving them the Fair for Life market advantage over and above the organic/conventional Rooibos market. We have regular communications with the farmer to find out what the needs/requirements of the workers are and discussing ways of assisting the Fair for Life certified farmers’ workers. During follow up meetings with the farmer we receive feedback on what the premium paid towards the workers was used for, as well as other needs arising. After the first sales of Fair for Life Rooibos in 2019 the premium funds were used to set up electronic communications infrastructure (eg. installing a cell phone tower and wi-fi router) for farm workers on the Rooibos farm to be able to connect with their families in the far at no cost. To overcome language barriers between farm workers and the farmers a second Fair for Life project arose: English tutoring for workers in the area and workers of the Fair for Life producer will be hosted by the Fair for Life certified farm. In addition to the premium funds raised through the sales of Fair for Life certified Rooibos, Khoisan Gourmet a division of Libstar Operations (Pty) Ltd also donated some additional money towards the Fair for Life project. Another donation of school equipment was made by Khoisan Gourmet a division of Libstar Operation (Pty) Ltd to a school located in a rural area close to Clanwilliam, which accommodates 32 learners, from the poorest of the poor people living and working on farms in the surrounding areas, and two teachers. We look forward to continue the mutually beneficial journey with our Fair for Life partners |
