Not every veteran returns from deployment in Afghanistan with a plan for a business venture, but Emily Miller, Keith Alaniz and Kimberly Jung are off to a strong start with their company, Rumi Spice. While serving on combat tours, the three US Army captains saw the opportunity to help Afghan farmers replace opium poppies with fields of saffron crocuses. Unlike other crop substitutes, farmers earn a return on saffron that is six times greater than heroin production.
While stationed in Afghanistan, Jung was assigned route clearance, and Miller was a cultural support team member assigned to special operation forces. At the time, the U.S. military was rebuilding urban centers at the expense of rural and agriculture areas, where 80% of the population resided. It was also destroying fields of opium poppies that supported the Taliban, without providing a viable replacement crops.
When …show more content…
The high price reflects the spice’s labor-intensive growing, harvesting and processing cycle. In October, each purple crocus flower must be handpicked in the early morning. A blossom produces three stigmas that are plucked and dried to produce saffron. Up to 150,000 flowers are needed to create a single kilogram of saffron.
Although Rumi Spice is classified as a social enterprise, Jung insists that her corporation is not a charity and it produces the best saffron in the world. Top-rated chefs, Daniel Boulud and Brad Farmeric, agree with her. The integrity and in-country connections of the veteran team are earning Rumi Spice shelf space in high-end grocery chains, such as Dean and DeLuca and Whole Foods.
In spite of its success, the fledgling company still faces challenges in Afghanistan, including poor transportation, tedious bureaucracy, illiteracy issues, unreliable payment methods, and lack of contract law
While stationed in Afghanistan, Jung was assigned route clearance, and Miller was a cultural support team member assigned to special operation forces. At the time, the U.S. military was rebuilding urban centers at the expense of rural and agriculture areas, where 80% of the population resided. It was also destroying fields of opium poppies that supported the Taliban, without providing a viable replacement crops.
When …show more content…
The high price reflects the spice’s labor-intensive growing, harvesting and processing cycle. In October, each purple crocus flower must be handpicked in the early morning. A blossom produces three stigmas that are plucked and dried to produce saffron. Up to 150,000 flowers are needed to create a single kilogram of saffron.
Although Rumi Spice is classified as a social enterprise, Jung insists that her corporation is not a charity and it produces the best saffron in the world. Top-rated chefs, Daniel Boulud and Brad Farmeric, agree with her. The integrity and in-country connections of the veteran team are earning Rumi Spice shelf space in high-end grocery chains, such as Dean and DeLuca and Whole Foods.
In spite of its success, the fledgling company still faces challenges in Afghanistan, including poor transportation, tedious bureaucracy, illiteracy issues, unreliable payment methods, and lack of contract law