Elegant Products is a leading importer and distributor of Saffron to several retail customers located in throughout the USA, since May 1995. Elegant Products growth is a result of customers' trust in its commitment to provide highest quality at the modest market price based on the coloring power (CP) of saffron.

Saffron is the King of Spices. Saffron is a Precious Gift of Nature! It's the most expensive spice in the world. It's less understood by some grocers who at times misguide shoppers by substituting high quality saffron with Safflower due to the high saffron prices.

What's Safflower: The safflowers grow wildly in various countries. The red-orange filaments produce yellow dye with no saffron aroma and flavor. They are sold in the market as "saffron" in excellent packages to make easy money. Definition: An annual composite plant (Carthamus tinctorius), the flowers of which are used as a dyestuff and in making rouge; bastard, or false saffron.

Many retailers and shoppers don't know about the coloring power [CP] of saffron, the barometer of saffron quality, purchase inferior quality saffron. Range of coloring power varies from as low as CP 80 to the highest CP 240. The ISO standard of saffron for category I Coloring power is at least 190 or more. Saffron qualities are divided in four categories but some stores sell saffron without label of category and its coloring power.

Saffron grows in Iran (highest in world), Spain [highest export - finished product], Greece, India [Kashmir], Morocco, and Afghanistan. Saffron plants begin to bloom during October and saffron flowering period may last long for 2~3 weeks. This is a very short season, once a year! Each flower has only three (3) filaments. Flowers are picked by hands [not machine] from saffron fields during dawn hours [before Sun rises up in the sky] as the saffron stigmas fall on the ground due to extreme heat of sun rays.

The saffron flowers in quantities of 60,000 ~ 70,000 are needed to yield a pound of saffron. During year 2007, the saffron sold @ $50/oz, highest prices of saffron in last 12 years, due to a majority of saffron crop failure with unusual weather conditions.

For example, if some one is selling Gold @$300/oz would you buy that gold when current prices of gold is $740/oz? Be careful when someone is selling saffron @ $14/oz. Insist on ISO label of coloring power of saffron when you purchase saffron from market to avoid adulterated product and self satisfaction.

Caution: Don't purchase saffron if there no label of its coloring power.