Out of South Africa, the organic process for this slightly sweet, herbaceous beverage was developed.  As the certified organic market emerged, the Rooibos industry wanted to play a significant role in its growth.  Not using pesticides or fungicides (the mainstream Rooibos market does not use the latter either), the main players in the Rooibos arena developed another way of processing the leaves.  The leaves are harvested, bruised and immediately fired, foregoing the fermentation of the leaves altogether.