About us

Saffronice is a farm to end user business. Our saffron is grown traditionally on small family farms, using centuries-old heritage saffron bulbs—real saffron, GMO-free. We harvest and dry our saffron the old way. Every single thread is picked by hand, before the sun rises, to ensure maximum potency and freshness—and air-dried at room temperature, never using harsh dehydrators or heating elements. Our products come directly from our farms to you. This area has been producing saffron for over 3000 years, and is famous for its soil and water quality. With offices in Middle East and Australia, we offer fast shipping of the best quality saffron you will ever experience. In fact, we’re so confident that you will fall in love with our product that we offer a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If you aren’t totally happy with Saffronice saffron, we will give you a fast and courteous refund, no questions asked. For our customers who need to order larger quantities of saffron, we also offer a wholesale discount as well as special large-order privileges—please contact us for details.

 

 About the Founders

Hossain & Bahar Maleki
Hossain Maleki has saffron in his blood. He is the son of saffron farmers and grew up on the family farm. He knows the business from the ground up (literally!).
Saffron was always a part of his life. He was born on the first day of the saffron harvest. And as a boy, he helped his parents with the work of cultivating and processing some of the finest saffron in the world. His mother would make him saffron cakes and treats for special occasions. And then, when he was a young man, he even met his future wife while sorting saffron threads with family and neighbours.
But not all of Hossain's childhood memories are happy ones. He remembers watching helplessly as his family and neighbours worked themselves to the bone...only to be forced to sell their crop to middlemen at prices far below the fair market rate. They had no choice: the small, local farms like the one his parents owned had no direct access to international markets or large buyers.
Yet this bitter experience planted the seeds of Hossain's future. It inspired him to go to university and study international business so that he could learn how to help family farms sell their crop without being taken advantage of.
Hossain's dedication to helping small-scale farms connect with the global market gave rise to Saffronice. And because of his background, he's able to find the small-batch producers who still grow and harvest the traditional way, without harsh chemicals or pesticides—giving our international buyers access to the best saffron in the world: saffron that's ethically sourced and sustainably farmed by the families and neighbours he grew up with.
And as for Hossain's wife Bahar, that lovely girl who caught his eye over a pile of crimson saffron threads so many years ago? She went on to study architecture at university, with a focus on sustainable design. And today she works with Saffronice to design durable and eco-friendly packaging that helps our customers' orders arrive safe and sound—and is in line with our company's all-natural ethos.

Matty & Alex Zar
Matty and Alex spent their youth in Middle East, but settled in Australia, where they manage the international sales and distribution side of Saffronice today.
Matty's passion is nutrition and healing. At university, she studied science and medicine, and is currently finishing a Master’s in global health and nutrition.
With her in-depth knowledge of food science, she helps Saffronice guarantee the potency and quality of its saffron through the most modern testing methods available. And she also provides our customers with the very latest in scientific brewing techniques so they can get the most out of their saffron.
But Matty is not only a scientist. She is also a healer. Her grandmother was a traditional herbalist who taught Matty the old ways of using local plants and herbs (including saffron) for healing. Her grandmother inspired Matty to study the ancient medical texts of Persia, where she discovered a wealth of knowledge about the use of plants for natural healing—all but ignored by modern medicine. At Saffronice, she helps to spread awareness of the myriad health and healing benefits of saffron.
Alex, like Matty, was born in Middle East. His family was in the restaurant business for decades—which is probably what inspired him to work as a chef when he moved to the United States as a young man. While in America, Alex was a bit of a saffron evangelist, helping to popularize saffron and also pioneering its use in modern Italian cuisine and contemporary seafood dishes.
When Alex returned to Australia, he pursued a career in business and marketing. His business acumen and commitment to customer satisfaction help Saffronice provide premium quality saffron to customers all around the world—at competitive prices, with fast fulfilment and shipping, and with excellent service.
Alex and Matty share a love of food and healing, and truly believe that ethical businesses can make the world a better place for everyone. They also happen to be pretty great cooks, so follow our Facebook page to see their saffron tips, recipes, and more!