The Kozani Saffron Producers Cooperative is based in the Krocus village, in Kozani. The 1,000 farmers- members of the Cooperative keep traditions alive, while infusing generations to come with their inherited mastery and deep knowledge on Krocus cultivation. Around 400,000 bulbs/hectare are planted during summer months and those bulbs will grow to beautiful flowers for the next 6-7 years. The Krocus flowers are collected each October. The production of precious Greek Saffron made from the flowers delicate, yet powerful dried red stigmas, is a manual and time-consuming process, requiring attention to detail.
Krokus blossoms only once a year, every October, for barely two weeks, creating a purple carpet effect as far as the eye can see.
The flowers are harvested daily, right after the morning dew has evaporated when Krocus antioxidants are at their peak.
After all the flowers have been collected, the fields look empty, but by dawn Krocus blooms once again, blanketing the fields in these rare beautiful purple flowers. Petals are separated by hand from the Saffron stigmas and stamens, immediately after being picked, followed by the drying process of the stigmas, ensuring that the Saffron is at its highest potency.
A 150.000 blooms hand-picked by the villagers during the harvest, yield only 1 kilo of Krocus stigmas. A painstaking process, making Krocus Kozanis PDO* -the world’s best Saffron quality as per the ISO 3632 TS standard- more valuable than gold itself.
*Protected Designation of Origin
