Real saffron can cost over $10,000 per kilo, and there are various reasons why it is so.
Reason 1: It takes 150 flowers to make 1 gram of saffron.
Saffron is the red strands that grow at the center of the Crocus Sativus plant’s flower.
Each flower has just 3 of these strands, and it takes 150,000 flowers (450,000 strands) to produce 1 kg of saffron.
Reason 2: It takes 40 hours of manual labor to get 1 kg of saffron.
All flowers are handpicked, and no machine can be used to harvest the delicate threads.
Reason 3: Saffron plants don’t grow easily & the yield is very low.
One acre (about 43,000 square feet) of land yields around 1.8 kg of saffron.
For comparison, the same land space can yield over 1000 kg of coriander or 600 kg of cumin or 350 kg of nutmeg.
The plant is incapable of sexual reproduction, i.e., the plant doesn’t grow through pollination (insects transferring pollen from the male part of the flower to the female part).
So, manual vegetative multiplication is necessary to produce offspring.
Reason 4: It is one of the most counterfeited or adulterated spices.
The popularised health benefits such as saffron being anti-cancerous, good for memory, etc., have led to demand far higher than the production.
Because of this, adulteration and production of fake saffron are widespread – corn silk, shredded coconut fibers, and horsehair are commonly used as fake saffron.
In 2010, Spain exported 190,000 kg of saffron worth $50 million, but the country’s total production was only 1500 kg, so most of this export was fake.
In 2019, fake saffron worth $1 million was uncovered in the UK.
Faking & adulteration and high exclusivity help the spice deliver on the rarity principle (refers to a situation when a lot of people know about a brand/product but very few can access it) perfectly, making it even more coveted.
