Afghan Zafaran Consortium
Introduction
The “Afghan Zafaran Consortium, Art of the Rarest Saffron” brand is unique. It represents a genuine saffron with exceptional and differential properties from those obtained in other parts of the world.
The Consortium's Birth
The Consortium originated within the ACEBA project as the union of the most representative companies in the Afghan saffron sector. Its members have been selected for their professional backgrounds, experience in the industry, and willingness to collaborate with the objectives of the project.
The Consortium
This group of companies brings together an amalgam of professionals from different sectors, ranging from farmers to processors, as well as food safety professionals, laboratories, and external companies in charge of guaranteeing the traceability and purity of the product. Together they form the most representative and important part of the Afghan saffron industry.
The Afghan Saffron
History
Saffron cultivation has been present in Afghanistan for 2000 years and has increased significantly in the last 20 years. This has occurred mainly because Afghan farmers, especially women, have replaced opium cultivation with saffron cultivation. A change that has generated new hope for thousands of people, as well as new business opportunities and social improvements.
Production
Saffron production in Afghanistan is an activity of great economic and cultural importance. Saffron is known as "red gold" and is grown mainly in different regions in the north and west of the country.
Despite the difficulties faced by saffron farmers in Afghanistan, saffron production is increasingly becoming an important source of income for many families. In addition, Afghan saffron is known for its unique organoleptic qualities and its natural production, which makes it a highly sought-after product worldwide.
Value Proposals
Food Safety
Under the ACEBA program, many processors have undergone a significant evolution in food safety: their facilities have been refurbished, and HACCP protocols are being implemented by international experts, considerably improving the quality of saffron processed in these centers.
A crop control program is also implemented to ensure that the saffron distributed under the Consortium's brand is free from contamination by pathogens, pesticides, or heavy metals.
Finally, the product is analyzed in accredited laboratories in Afghanistan and in Europe and finally packed under the FSSC 22000 scheme.
Quality
The Afghan Zafaran Consortium brand represents the best saffron in the world, recognized by the International Taste Institute in Brussels for the last eight consecutive years.
Undoubtedly, the orographic characteristics of the saffron growing area are responsible for its unique organoleptic qualities, with its intense and distinctive aroma standing out among other saffron. In addition, Afghan saffron benefits from its traditional treatment process and minimal use of pesticides in its rural environment, making it one of the most natural saffron available.
Traceability
Under the umbrella of the Afghan Saffron Consortium, it is controlled at each and every stage, from cultivation to marketing. Specific treatment systems have been developed to maintain maximum transparency and ensure optimum quality at all times.
These control methods have been developed from the cultivation in the fields, to minimize the use of pesticides and heavy metals, through its handling and up to the analysis of all the lots produced in approved European laboratories, following the quality parameters approved by the GFSI.