Saffrosystems

This interview details Saffrosystems, an agricultural technology company based in the United States. The interview is with Khalil Z. Mirza - CEO & Co-Founder of Saffrosystems.

Source: Saffrosystems

What is the origin story of Saffrosystems?

Saffrosystems was spun out of an undergraduate internship that I had the honor of partaking in the last summer and year of my environmental policy program in Vermont. This was the first laboratory in the United States to study saffron formally. In being mentored by Dr. Arash Ghalehgolabbehbahani, a post-doc agronomist at the time, I learned about the myriad low-input, shoulder, cash-crop opportunities that saffron (Crocus sativus) could offer the world of agriculture. 

These unique facets of the world’s most expensive spice impassioned me to empower and inspire farmers to sustainably produce saffron for a growing world population in an ever-changing climate. Now, Saffrosystems has a moonshot to obsolete the adulteration of this spice, since saffron has been subject to the most fraud relative to any other spice or herb.

Source: Saffrosystems


What are some of the biggest challenges facing Saffrosystems in the future?

Some of the biggest challenges facing Saffrosystems is to help educate the public about the degree of saffron fraud in local to global markets — currently, saffron is adulterated at a minimum conservative estimate of 33% in global markets, with some areas reaching as high as 90% according to peer-reviewed studies.

Another challenge is to educate policy makers and government agencies about the importance of developing regulations that use the most cost-effective technologies available on the market to identify and weed out fraudulent saffron actors. Lastly, the challenge of diversifying the monoculture systems that are the achilles heel of modern US agriculture is no easy feat, but, nonetheless, an imperative one in the face of a changing climate.

Source: Saffrosystems


What is the current size of your growing area?

We do not produce saffron. My company decided to steer away from producing saffron early on, as to remain independent and non-biased in our moonshot to help obsolete the adulteration of saffron.

Source: Saffrosystems


Do you use CO2 in your operation today -- if so, how much and what do you pay for it? What are your thoughts in CO2 usage in indoor farms?

We do not use CO2 in our company operations. While this facet of indoor farming is not my area of expertise, one can only logically postulate that hormesis will make or break this practice. Hormesis is a dose-dependent response that can lead to favorable, natural, or toxic outcomes for the organism. So, too much CO2, as we see with various climate change models, will suffocate and hinder plant growth. However, there is likely a Goldilocks zone for optimal CO2 usage for indoor farming that differs from plant to plant.

Source: Saffrosystems


How can people connect with you or learn more about Saffrosystems?

People can access our website here, and follow Saffrosystems on Facebook, Instagram Twitter, or LinkedIn. For any growers who would like to learn and network with other like-minded producers, we run a donations-based online community for farmers.

We have ample resources available on this platform to help grow and enhance your saffron operations no matter the stage of your business or hobby. We have saffron farmers and enthusiasts from all over the world so it is a highly inclusive and diverse group of experts that support each other in their saffron pursuits.

Source: Saffrosystems

Asia Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download the Free Sample Report

Mark-Horler

"For a target audience that is trying to understand the basics of vertical farming, this is a quality newsletter to subscribe to"

- James Pateras, CEO, Modular Farms Australia

North America Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download The Free Sample Report

Mark-Horler

"The North America Vertical Farming Companies Report 2023 aggregates many sources of public information on many different companies so that you don't have to do the research yourself, it's worth the money and saves a lot of time"

- John Ireland, CEO, NTP Technologies

Europe Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download the Free Sample Report

Helen Andrew Spare Harvest

"As a business development manager supporting the indoor agriculture, CEA, and food tech industries, I can say Urban Vine guides and their insider newsletter provide detailed information often difficult to find online."

- Irena Lundberg, CleanTech Invest Stockholm

Middle East Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download the Free Sample Report

Mark-Horler

"As a marketing professional in the indoor agriculture industry, Urban Vine's newsletters, reports and guides are an excellent resource for keeping up-to-date with news and developments in vertical farming."

- Steven Mitchell, Product Manager, Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS) UK

All Indoor Farming Company Interviews

GrowDirector 2024

August 7, 2024

This interview details GrowDirector, an indoor farming technology company based in Israel. The interview is with Dima Chernobylski, CEO and Co-Founder of GrowDirector. To learn more about GrowDirector and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Pure Greens Container Farms

July 4, 2024

This interview details Pure Greens Container Farms, an indoor farming company based in the United States. The interview is with Taisiya Jacobson, President & Co-Founder of Pure Greens Container Farms. To learn more about Pure Greens and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Bloemteknik

June 21, 2024

This interview details Bloemteknik, an indoor farming technology company based in the UK. The interview is with James Fleet, Co-Founder & CEO of Bloemteknik. To learn more about Bloemteknik and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Farmitank

May 31, 2024

This interview details Farmitank, a company based in Spain. The interview is with Cristian Nieves, R&D Department at Farmitank. To learn more about Farmitank and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

JHS Group

May 30, 2024

This interview details JHS Group, a company based in the United States. The interview is with Janet Tso-Shushan, CEO of JHS Group. To learn more about JHS Group and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)

May 22, 2024

This interview details Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), a research organization based in Finland. The interview is with Saila Karhu, Research Professor at Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). To learn more about Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

The indoor growing pods at Canadore College

May 22, 2024

This interview details The indoor growing pods at Canadore College, an indoor farming company based in Canada. The interview is with Angela Proudfoot, Project Administrator Sustainable Food & Clean Water at Canadore College.

View Full Interview

NIAB

May 22, 2024

This interview details NIAB, a crop science organization based in the UK. The interview is with Ros Lloyd, Head of Communications at NIAB. To learn more about NIAB and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Ecocool GmbH

May 22, 2024

This interview details Ecocool GmbH, a packaging solutions provider based in Germany. The interview is with Florian Siedenburg, General Manager of Ecocool GmbH. To learn more about Ecocool GmbH and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Autonomous Greenhouse

May 22, 2024

This interview details Autonomous Greenhouse, an indoor farming technology company based in the Netherlands. The interview is with Silke Hemming, Head Scientific Research Team Greenhouse Technology at Wageningen University & Research. To learn more about Autonomous Greenhouse and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview