Early morning in Bekaa, Lebanon, we are in the middle of a field which at first glance looks green. ‘Mind your step,’ jokes Karl Karam one of the tree entrepreneurs behind Safran du Liban. On the ground purple flowers, saffron crocus, are blooming here and there.
A patient ritual begins; the flower is picked by hand, then the petals must be delicately removed. Only three thin crimson stigmas are left of the crocus, they are the saffron spice. Time to grab a basket and pick all the flowers that popped, then weigh them. The harvest is light today, 450 grams of flowers, but the season has not really started yet. The other crocus bulbs, more exposed to sun, will be harvested daily as they bloom. After removing all the petals, the saffron weighs very little, and 80% more weight will be lost once it is dried. ‘The ideal humidity level is between 8 and 12%’ Karl explains. ‘We need to avoid exposure to sunlight, control time and temperature to ensure quality.’ The saffron will then be tasted by chefs with savory recipes. Once we realize it takes two hundred and fifty hand-picked flowers to have just 1g of saffron, we understand why the spice is so precious. Stored in the right conditions, saffron can last for many years and aromas even develop with time. Everything here is organic, and Karl tells us to get a closer look at a large basket filled with the purple flowers. ‘Do you see the pocket that this bee is carrying? Next year we will be making saffron honey.’
We ask why they chose saffron, a crop that is not so common in Lebanon. The first motivation for the three entrepreneurs, who are also architects, is to stay in Lebanon and bring innovative, high quality products to local agriculture. They employ people from surrounding villages, and provide opportunities for women who with their slender hands are quicker to work with the delicate flower. ‘Saffron’ Karl adds ‘has a lot of health benefits.’ After testing the soil, they realized conditions were ideal for crocus; rich in nutrients, low clay, not much rainfall particularly during harvest, and sun. ‘Saffron requires very little watering and harvest season is once a year, an intense four to six weeks during which we spend our days on the field.’ Yasmina Wakim & Jihad Farah, the two other partners in the venture, join us in a nearby field, to pick zaatar barri (wild thyme/oregano). With a growing demand from bakeries across the world for this aromatic, they decided to grow fresh zaatar, a sturdy plant, that needs moderate water, and can be harvested up to four times a year. The social entrepreneurs also want to expand production; seven times their current size for wild thyme ‘hopefully by next year.’ Saffron will require a cycle or two before scaling up to five times today’s size, with the goal to cumulate an average of 18,000 work hours a month, employing a workforce that they look to stir away from marijuana culture, widespread in Bekaa. From paellas, to risotto Milanese, flavored butter and mustard, Safran du Liban now supplies restaurants across Lebanon, and will soon be in specialty stores. The trio sees endless possibilities for their spice; beauty creams, soaps, and even textile coloring, which they hope will be a step to position Lebanon as a player in the luxury market.
