The South African Honeybush Tea Association is excited about the opportunity to participate in a series of workshops aimed at empowering the Honeybush industry to embark on the Geographical Indication (GI) registration process. These workshops are part of the Swiss-South African Intellectual Property Project (SSAIP) which is a collaborative effort between Switzerland and South Africa to enhance the use, protection, and commercialisation of intellectual property rights (IPRs).
Geographical indications, like those enjoyed by Champagne, Parma Ham and more recently Rooibos, offer several potential benefits for the Honeybush industry, including:
- Enhanced market differentiation, because GI status helps to distinguish Honeybush tea as a unique product, enhancing its appeal in both domestic and international markets.
- Protection of product and reputation by ensuring that only tea produced in specific regions using specific methods can be labelled as such.
- Increased industry collaboration because the development of product specifications and quality parameters requires agreement and alignment of producers and processors; and
- Cultural preservation because GI recognition helps to preserve the heritage associated with Honeybush tea production.
The upcoming workshops will help the industry assess the opportunities for Honeybush to optimize the use of geographical protection to promote the uniqueness of Honeybush tea, the regions it comes from, and the people who produce it.
Stay tuned for more…