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At Caf? Ba-Ba-Reeba on Chicago’s north side, there is one key ingredient that could make or break Executive Chef Matt Holmes’ menu.
We feature it in our paellas, which are our signature dish here at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba,as well as use it in a dessert and some other dishes as well, so it’s incredibly important to have high quality saffron.
It is a staple in cuisine throughout Asia, the Middle East and the Mediterranean,but less so in the United States, where saffron — while a $60 million market is not well-known.
But Rumi Spice, Holmes’ saffron supplier, is hoping to change that.
“We are named after Juhalladin Rumi, he’s a 13th century poet and philosopher who was born in present day Afghanistan,and a Sufi mystic.One of his most famous sayings is, ‘Where there is ruin, there is hope for treasure.’”
Kimberly Jung and Keith Alaniz are two of the founders of Rumi Spice,both are U.S. military veterans who served in Afghanistan and returned with more than just combat experience.
“I was never able to resolve just going to Afghanistan, spending time, leaving and never thinking about the place again,especially when you form relationships with people who live there and you understand that, you know, the families.”
Those relationships formed the core of the business strategy for Rumi Spice —increasing demand for saffron in the U.S. produced by Afghan farmers they met in Herat province.
Abdullah Faiz is the chancellor of Herat University,which is working with Purdue University in Indiana to develop a special program with Afghan saffron farmers in new markets for them in mind.
The department of food technology will teach and give training for the farmers to produce the saffron with hygiene quality.In this case, I well found myself will be able in the future to produce saffron without pollutions.
The good thing about Rumi is they have a premium product that’s fantastic to use.And you are kind of doing double duty with the program that they have with helping farmers in Afghanistan and helping women,being a positive influence instead of just selling a product, so you really get the best of both worlds.
Investors are taking note.Rumi Spice attracted $250,000 investment commitment from entrepreneur Marc Cuban on the TV show “Shark Tank,”signaling his faith in Rumi Spice, and the potential for saffron grown in Afghanistan.
Kane Farabaugh, VOA news, Chicago, Illinois.
