The Saffron Story: Behind the Scenes

The World's Most Expensive Spice has entered the market with passion.  Let's take a dig into the process behind the hand-picked purple plant that is cultivated from farmers working together, hand-in-hand, across the globe.

The Pick

You may see a Crocus Sativus flower & feel confused at first glance - where is the Saffron?  The pretty purple flower has a lilac & white color with only a few threads of red Saffron in the inside.  The red saffron is the "meat" of the flower & is commonly sought-out from farmers on their harvesting mission.  The red threads are the valuable parts of the flower that are later picked out, & placed into a bowl where ladies from cultural backgrounds work together to accumulate this spice.

The Process

Everything begins within the hands of the farmers as they pull & pick the red gold that gleams of value.  This high value crop enters the market a costly price of $50 for only one gram.  This spice is not only a timely crop but a costly spice to strike from the picking patch.  Thankfully, the process is long-lasting & farmers can have Saffron for most of the year.  Each year, the Crocus Sativus plant multiples & withstands the extreme environments & poor soils that occur with climate change.  Furthermore, the cost of the plantation may be costly but the payoff for the spice in the market sales creates value for the farmers.  A farm of corms can add up to around $30,000 for just one acre, but can produce up to $100,000 worth of revenue.  One small farm requires 14 people to handle one-half acre at a time, & work up to 14 hours a day to pick the Saffron.  These workers pick up to 40,000 flowers in one day & then spend the rest of their time pulling the red threads from the flowers.

The Payoff

The hard work & talent of the farmers is what makes this process so unique.  Each picked blossom lasts three to four days, and produces three tiny scarlet stigmas which must be dried within 24 hours of the picking.  With about 500 of these threads, you can produce a single gram of Saffron - an amount less than the weight of a hummingbird.  Local market tenders will then sell their saffron for around $75-$100 for a single gram.  

The Picture (Globally)

The golden plant is produced locally & shipped globally.  Near the Middle East, Saffron requires a hot & dry environment in places like Iran, Spain, Afghanistan, & India.  Iran makes up for 90% of the Crocus Sativus production.  However, Crocus Sativus production is declining globally & farmers are finding it more difficult to keep up with the demands of the weather.  It is predicted that within the next 10 years Iran's 200 tons of saffron harvest will drop by nearly half of that number.  This would create a widespread condition of once farm land to unproductive dessert that cannot support these purple plants.  Thankfully, Saffron can survive the cold season but decreases in production during the seasons that are too hot.

Saffron remains in character through the seasons: special, savvy, & strong.  With its high price ticket, it's more than just the price tag that makes this spice the most luxurious in the world.  In fact, its value for the farmers & the customers are a few of the reasons why this special spice is an essential element to most cultural dishes.

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