Saffron, often referred to as “Red Gold,” is one of the world’s most precious spices. The primary reason saffron carries such a staggering price tag is due to the incredibly labor-intensive harvesting process.

Derived from the flower of the Crocus sativus, each flower produces only 3 delicate, crimson stigmas, which become the saffron filaments. These must be plucked by hand with extreme precision; there is currently no machinery capable of performing this task without damaging them. Additionally, these flowers bloom for only a few weeks each year. During this window, they must be harvested at dawn to prevent the sun’s heat from degrading the volatile oils that give saffron its flavor.

To produce just one pound of dried saffron filaments, workers must harvest and process roughly 75,000 flowers.