Norfolk woman revives 400-year-old saffron trade with spice business

A birthday gift of 20 saffron corms in 1997 led Norfolk botanist Sally Francis to establish a specialist spice business, Norfolk Saffron, in 2009. What began as a small experiment at her family's farm near Burnham Market produced just a teaspoon of saffron in its first harvest. As the plants multiplied, Francis began selling the surplus at a local market, where it received an enthusiastic response. She subsequently turned the family’s saffron-growing efforts into a commercial venture, producing ISO 3632 Category I saffron and reviving a crop with a long history in Norfolk.How a birthday saffron plant grew into a business in NorfolkFrancis's interest in growing saffron began in 1997, when she asked her parents for a saffron plant for her birthday. She planted it at the family's smallholding near Burnham Market, on the north coast of Norfolk. Her initial harvest produced just a teaspoon of saffron.The company's official website provides further details about the beginning of the venture, stating that Francis's mother, Jill, bought her 20 saffron corms as a birthday present. The plants multiplied over the years, and the family gradually began producing more saffron than they could use themselves. Francis initially shared the harvest with family and friends before taking the surplus to a local market in 2009.How rural development funding helped Norfolk Saffron expand its productionThe…