Mad About Saffron: Growing A Valuable Global Seasoning In The Midwest

In Year One, we learned through experiencing one growing season in Ohio with both in-ground and hoop house production. Hoop house production was more prolific and the harvest was easier in year one. Ohio's 2018 autumn was wet and cool, yielding little outdoor production and making weed suppression difficult. 

Our most valuable education came from visiting True Saffron farm in Ontario Canada in November 2018. There, we talked with experienced farmers about how they grow, harvest, and process their product. We spent a morning harvesting with them on site. Additionally we visited some of their value-added processors and retailers. 

True Saffron Farm showed us that collaborating with small value-added producers is an effective strategy for marketing and sales. They provided us with critical information about harvesting and drying techniques that increases the quality of the final product. Their mentorship will be invaluable for our 2019 growing and outreach plans.

In Year Two of the project, we learned more from our own experience and the National Center for Saffron Research and Development. We completed outreach activities and more seriously marketed the finished saffron.

The 2019 field harvest of corms was difficult and disappointing. A wet fall and spring made controlling weeds very difficult, and some corms showed signs of damage by pests. Some farms, like our mentors True Saffron, bury saffron deeper in the soil and use mechanical cultivation; the clay-rich soils on our growing site make this impossible. 

Therefore, we chose to transition to entirely container grown saffron. The containers are easier to manage for weeds and pests, making harvesting more convenient, and can be moved in the case of sub-optimal weather. Though pictured in a high tunnel, we also grew in containers on the group outdoors and these performed equally well to in the tunnel. If grown in a high tunnel, watering is essential, as is protection from deep freezes during the winter.

We sold all saffron direct to customers, for $4 per package of 15 cured saffron threads. To sell by weight, a farmer would need a very sensitive and expensive scale. In 2018, the only sales outlet was at farmers markets and holiday pop-up events. In 2019, the farm added wholesale accounts, online sales, and a year-round farmers market which created additional outlets. 

Our simple but effective packaging design of a folded over card wrapping a sealed plastic sleeve is pictured below. Saffron needs a sealed, dark environment to preserve freshness and this does so while providing some space to educate the consumer about the product.

Customers in our experience were generally unfamiliar with saffron and did not know how to use it. We sampled saffron rice and handed out recipe cards and invitations to our field day at a farmers market demo. In these interactions, customers enjoyed the flavor and were engaged with questions but this positive interest did not necessarily convert to a rush of purchases. Purchases of saffron increased around the winter holidays, indicating that people included saffron in their gift giving and special meals.

Attendees at our field day and conference presentation were similiarly very engaged and appreciative of our efforts to explore and educate about saffron. Despite our truthful sharing that the enterprise requires significant initial investment and customer demand isn't currently strong, many farmers and homesteaders showed interest in growing saffron.

In conclusion, the Mad About Saffron project taught us much about the production and marketing of saffron. It will remain among Foraged & Sown's offerings as a unique, flavor-packed product. There is much yet to explore about harvesting corms, finding efficiencies in curing and packaging, and creating a market for Midwestern-grown saffron.