Quality, Assured: Meet our Quality Manager Michelle Brown

As a leading processer and marketer of Rooibos and Rosehips in South Africa, we strive toward delivering the highest quality products. This requires an extensive Quality Assurance operation, led by Quality Manager Michelle Brown.

"No two days are the same," Michelle says. She says she loves the adrenaline rush of daily problem-solving. "It's extremely fast-paced and you need to think on your feet."

Michelle oversees all aspects of quality, safety and hygiene, and regulatory compliance. She directly manages 5 staff members, who in turn manage a team of about 30 quality controllers and hygiene staff.

Our team of Quality Controllers conduct analyses on every batch of product that leaves our doors.

When Michelle joined the company in 2016, we had a small lab with 12 QCs.

"Since then, we grew the lab by employing food technologists and started a Research and Development Lab focused on new product development and improving existing product range."

Our Quality Assurance facilities include a lab at our Cape Town HQ as well as two remote labs at our processing facilities. Michelle has played a crucial role in developing our quality testing capacity, which enables us to trace quality from the source, through to processing and the final product.

Compliance is one of the most important aspects of Michelle's job. She ensures we comply with government legislation on agriculture, health and safety; and fulfil the requirements of our FSSC-22000 certification and organic certifications.

A QC staff member conducts sieving analysis on a batch of Rooibos

The quality department is also a support function to the production department, assisting with standard operating procedures that diminish variability in the final product. The quality lab analyzes all materials, from raw material to final product, and provides real-time feedback to the production team.

This ensures that the products we deliver to our clients comply with their required specifications. Each batch of product undergoes a sensory, bulk density, moisture, and microbiological analysis before it leaves our doors.

"Working for CNTP is very much like having a second family," Michelle says. "CNTP is growing and it is an amazing experience being part of the journey."