The world's most expensive spice is being grown in Alberta and B.C.
When agriculture in Alberta comes to mind, cattle, corn, and wheat might be the first things you think of, but one couple in Alberta are growing the highly valued saffron spice.
The operation is the work of Vikash Sangwan, an IT engineer, along with his wife, who first started experimenting with growing saffron as a hobby in his garage. Often referred to as “red gold,” saffron is a prized spice known for its high value and is the most expensive spice in the world.
“After graduating from engineering college, I found it boring sitting in front of a laptop, and I wanted to do something cool, something, you know, interesting,” Sangwan said when speaking with Daily Hive.
After his 1,000 saffron bulb garage setup was previously featured on the news, Sangwan said he started hearing from investors, farmers, and hobbyists interested in his project. That eventually led to a local farmer offering him space to continue experimenting.
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Now, Sangwan has expanded his operation to a barn on a farm just outside Calgary, where he is growing 40,000 saffron bulbs using an automated growing system.
While saffron is typically grown in warmer countries, Sangwan says Alberta’s cold weather can work to his advantage. Saffron bulbs need to be exposed to cooler temperatures to trigger blooming, meaning Calgary’s chilly weather can actually help with the process.
“That is the benefit for me to shock the flower to 7°C or 8°C for a week so it realizes that, okay, it’s cold now. It’s time to bloom,” he said.
“If it was India or Pakistan or any hot country, I would have spent a lot of energy just chilling the place down, but here, naturally, it’s cold outside. So I just bring in some fresh air and give them a shock.”
Sangwan’s operation also extends into British Columbia, where he has another 20,000 saffron bulbs growing in a field near the Langley-Surrey border.
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Looking ahead, Sangwan said he hopes to scale up his operation to between two and three million bulbs if he can secure funding or government support.
He also sees potential for other farmers to get involved, particularly those with unused indoor agricultural space that could be converted into saffron-growing operations.
“After harvesting canola and wheat, there is nothing here in Alberta, but the space inside is there, and it’s climate-free,” he said.
After 14 years working in IT, Sangwan said he sees agriculture as an opportunity to get back to basics.
“I feel like after working in consulting firms and all these big IT firms, I realized that, back to roots, agriculture is the new culture,” he said.
Have you tried saffron spice before? Let us know in the comments.
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