What is saffron, our main product?

Saffron comes from the Crocus sativus plant. The flower is a perennial plant that grows from the bulb planted in the spring or at the end of summer. This bulb stays in the soil from four to eight years and each year in November it produces a flower.

Shortly after flowering, leaves also grow. Interestingly, throughout the winter season, the leaves of the saffron plant remain green and grow in the midst of snow and rain. As spring arrives, the saffron leaves turn yellow and the plant goes dormant. This is why the saffron plant does not use much water resources and gained the name “drought-fighting hero”.

What are saffron applications?

Saffron is one of the most expensive spices by weight and is used in various applications including:

Food 

Saffron has a significant value in the culinary industry as it is used as spice, herb, and flavoring agent and is likely to witness lucrative demand in regional markets of Asia, Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. There is also an increasing demand for saffron as an alternative to artificial colorings and flavorings.

Medical

Saffron contains elements like crocin and safranal, which are presumed to have antidepressant properties and cure nervous system related issues. Additionally, treatment of diseases such as cancer, arthritis, and heart disorders also attract saffron demand. It is used as antioxidant, and antiseptic and can also be used in the treatment of whooping cough, asthma, and dry skin.

There are increasing research and development activities on saffron as antioxidant, neuroprotective, and antitumor agents. 

Cosmetics

There is growing demand for saffron in anti-blemish creams, fairness creams, and cleansers. Saffron is used in hair care and skin care products. It is known to brighten the skin and strengthen hair growth. Rising popularity of cosmetic products owing to concerns regarding ageing along with changing climatic conditions is expected to fuel the saffron demand in the cosmetics segment.

Textile dyeing

Why are Keshmoon farmers the right source for my saffron?

There are many reasons you should buy Keshmoon saffron. First and foremost, the cultivation and production of our saffron is clearly sourced and presented, so you know the entire backstory of the farmer you are purchasing your saffron from. Second, we run lab tests on our saffron based on the ISO3632 standard to ensure that our customers receive the highest quality saffron on the market.

One distinguishing characteristic of our saffron supply chain from others is that we can package each farmer’s saffron separately for you and not combine different farmers' saffron so you would enjoy a transparent supply chain even in big orders. You can exactly tell us your desired attributes of saffron you want, such as the minimum amount of corcine, and received it. 

Both the customer and farmer benefit from the transparent supply chain by receiving better quality saffron and  gaining more profit than selling to bulk buyers that often place farmers at a disadvantage.

Last but not the least, one of the winning characteristics of our saffron is that we only accept farmers who participate in our water saving plan. This way when you purchase our saffron you know that you support local farmers to bring sustainable conditions back to their region.

When I buy from Keshmoon farmers how much do I contribute to their income?

You contribute to doubling the farmers’ income that work with Keshmoon by purchasing our saffron. We are all about empowering our farmers financially.

What is the Keshmoon pricing system?

Two main parameters of the Keshmoon pricing system are saffron grade and saffron types. Three main factors that saffron grade is defined by are crocin, safranal, and picrocrocin. We sell different types of saffron including Negin, Sargol, Daste, and White saffron. Moreover, as the saffron price is determined daily in Iran and farmers sell their products based on daily price, our price is updated each 72 hours.

How does Keshmoon ship its purchase?

Generally, Keshmoon sends your order by air cargo. Pandemic caused the flight disruption, so we have to check the flights to your desired destination daily and provide you the information.

Why is saffron the most expensive spice in the world?

Saffron production is a labour intensive and delicate process. The saffron flower should be hand picked before the sun rises in the cold mornings of November. Then immediately after harvesting saffron strands have to be separated manually from the flower for the quality sake. Moreover, 150 to 180 gallons of saffron must be collected to generate one gram of saffron.

Nevertheless, it should be considered that for each serving of a meal for a family of four only one tenth of a gram of saffron is needed. Thus, a little bit of saffron goes a long way and the average household does not need much saffron to last a long time for culinary purposes. Considering the little amount that is used in each meal and the great health benefits of saffron it absolutely worths to consume for households.