I think the end of the year compels us to reflect and to draw conclusions: what we did well, what we could have done better, what we wish for the future. My wish for 2025? I wish to continue to share stories that make a difference to me and to my readers.
I started this blog in 2013 because I was feeling lonely in a big new city, and I was longing for my life back in Europe. I was missing my family, whom I had left behind, and I wanted to put my thoughts on “virtual paper,” so to speak, as an attempt to escape loneliness and to capture the passage of time.
Eleven years later, I have so much to be grateful for: thanks to food blogging, I met amazing businesses, I was invited to judge various competitions, and I attended events locally and internationally.
I have always approached food blogging from the perspective of storytelling, and this search for great stories continues to animate me. I love telling stories of universal human experiences centered around the practice of food – food making, describing, and sharing. I also highly appreciate the relationships I have developed with local and national businesses, large or small, in my ongoing search for compelling stories, that speak to my readers’ souls, that share a passion, a pursuit, a joy. Such has been the story of Heray Spice, with whom I have had the pleasure of collaborating for several years now.
Heray Spice was started by Mohammad Salehi, who grew up in a saffron farming family in Herat, Afghanistan. He served as a local military linguist for the US Army & US Marines from 2010 – 2014, and immigrated to Chicago in 2014. Dreaming of the saffron fields he had left behind, and animated by a desire to help Afghani farmers, Salehi built his vision using the vast saffron resources available in the region.
Heray Spice is a fair-trade and non-GMO verified company that celebrates Afghanistan’s agriculture and rich cultural heritage while offering the highest quality products that are free of additives, artificial dyes, and preservatives. Heray Spice’s mission “is rooted in rebuilding Afghanistan’s agricultural economy. After decades of conflict, the region needed new opportunities for growth and recovery. By creating a spice company centered around Afghanistan’s world-renowned saffron and spices, we are not only showcases the finest saffron to the global market but also empowering the local farmers of Afghanistan.”
- Saffron: Did you know?
- Herat province is the main source of Afghan saffron, with more than 90% of the country’s saffron being grown in, and imported out of this region.
- Afghan saffron has been recognized as the world’s highest quality saffron for the ninth time by the prestigious International Taste Institute in Belgium. Competing against saffron from Spain, Iran, and other major saffron producers, Afghanistan’s saffron consistently takes home the top honors.
- History of my collaboration with Heray Spice
I first learned about Heray Spice in 2021, as part of a partnership with local small business hub Here Here Market. I wrote about this experience in my 2021 holiday gift guide.
Below you have my mom’s beloved spice cake, a heirloom family recipe I re-imagined in 2021 using Heray Spice premium saffron:
A moist and aromatic dessert brimming with vibrant, life-affirming flavors, this cake is truly something to behold, and its goodness speaks to me in ways that transcend space and time, and bring me back to the joyous days of my childhood. I added a few saffron strands to my mom’s original recipe, and the cake took on a life of its own I never thought was possible. Served with homemade peach jam and baked apples, this dessert plate was spectacular!
Fast forward to 2024, Heray Spice sent me more of their exquisite saffron, along with a couple of their newly launched spices (which you can find here and here)…
…which I included in my May product roundup post. I used their saffron in two recipes, a rice pudding enriched with plump dried cherries and crunchy chopped pistachios…
… and a sharbati saffron cake, following the recipe posted on the Heray Spice website.
After 3 years of online communication, I met Mohammad Salehi at the 2024 edition of The National Restaurant Association Show (you are welcome to check out my detailed review of this event here).
It was like meeting my best friends 🙂
- Heray Spice 2024 report
Every year, Heray Spice release a report that outlines their progress in sustainability, product developments, and quality assurance. Here is some fascinating information from their latest report:
- They welcomed 121 new farmers into their cooperative (total of 176 farmers)
- These 176 farmers harvested approximately 680lb saffron – a record of almost 60% increase compared to last year’s harvest!
- There are roughly 65,000 flowers in 1lb of saffron threads, which means that the total harvest was around 45,000,000 flowers.
- They also had more than 120 seasonal employees, working in two shifts to process and package the saffron during the harvest months of November & December. Most notably, the Taliban allowed women to get back to work in saffron facilities after 3 years.
- They moved to a triple sized facility, compared to last year’s facility. This new facility can host up to 65 employees working at the same time.
- Total sales were $478,250, with $368,600 going back to Afghan farmers for their saffron threads, seasonal employment, supplies and services – a 47% increase from last year!
- High standards and accomplishments
One of the many qualities I appreciate about Mohammad Salehi and his team is their commitment to authenticity and excellence. In a world that provided multiple opportunities, Salehi chose to do what he knew best, and he continues to follow his dreams with determination and integrity, selling exceptional fresh spices.
For saffron, the main quality factor is coloring strength, along with taste and smell. According to ISO 3632.2, saffron coloring power (Crocin) has to be above at least 200 to quality for Category #1. Heray Spice’s latest harvest saffron Crocin is 318.7 points – 118.7 points above the minimum quality of ISO standards! As Mohammad Salehi states in a recent newsletter, “This is a record probably no one hit this quality in US. In other words, our hard work and quality control pays off every year by having the record of highest quality Crocin (color), PicroCrocin (smell) & Safranal (taste). We challenge any competitor or saffron company to bring more potent, aromatic, and dark-red pure saffron than 313.8!”
Mohammad Salehi has recently been appointed to the Board of Directors for the Non-GMO Project. Amazing recognition of high standards of theory and practice – a superb philosophical foundation and underpinning mission!
I used Heray Spice saffron recently to re-imagine the cookies of my childhood, another beloved family recipe I shared on this blog back in 2014.
As I wrote in my original post, my mom used to make these cookies very often when I was growing up because they were easy and economical: “I have vivid recollections of her running around the oven, taking out tray after tray of fresh-smelling cookies and putting new ones in, with an unstoppable energy and an infectious enthusiasm. She knew my dad and I loved these moist, melt-in-your-mouth cookies, so she made huge batches and tried to keep the cookie jars replenished at all times. I remember having a blast helping my mom to make these cookies. They were fun to bake – and lots more fun to eat!”
Adorned with saffron, glowing with shades of gold and amber in the beautiful afternoon light, the re-imagined cookies were melt-in-you-mouth delicious and exquisitely aromatic. These tempting treats sandwiched with a combination of homemade mango and blueberry jams were perfect with my cup of foamy, comforting hot latte. Nothing better to soothe the soul and to comfort the mind, one cold winter afternoon 🙂
You are welcome to check out the Heray Spice website and Instagram page for information on their spices, recipes, and videos covering the latest saffron harvest in Herat Afghanistan, and the The International Saffron Festival, respectively.
I am delighted to continue to support Heray Spice and their excellence-driven mission to empower chefs and communities. While they use spices, I use words to tell their story, and I will do so for as long as possible, to the best of my abilities. Compelling and exciting, their pursuit of the good life for individuals and communities resonates with me deeply. Their passion and energy are amazing sources of inspiration, making my own storytelling goals rewarding, like timeless jewels on the tapestry of life.
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