Aqiq Saffron is a direct-trade wholesale saffron supplier shipping Category I saffron from Herat to importers, manufacturers, and distributors in 7 countries. Every lot carries a Certificate of Analysis and a traceable lot code.
No brokers. No blending. No re-exported inventory sold under a different flag.
Why Buyers Leave Their Current Saffron Distributor
Most saffron reaches a buyer after three or four hands have touched it. Each hand takes margin, and at least one usually takes liberties with the grade.
By the time a 5 kg lot lands in your warehouse, nobody can tell you which field it came from or what week it was dried.
We built Aqiq the other way around.
- One origin. Every thread comes from the Herat highlands. We do not buy on the open market to cover shortfalls.
- One chain. We contract directly with heritage farming families. No middlemen sit between the field and your purchase order.
- One standard. Every batch is lab-tested to ISO 3632 before it is offered for sale.
- One lot code. Scan it and you get harvest date, farm, grade, and the full COA.
What Direct Trade Actually Changes for You
Direct trade is a supply-chain decision before it is an ethics decision. It changes three things a procurement manager cares about.
Price stability. We hold long-term contracts with our growers. Your quote does not swing with the Herat spot market every quarter.
Consistency between lots. The same fields, the same processing team, the same drying protocol. Your November order matches your March reorder.
Answerable questions. When your QA team asks where a batch came from, we answer in hours, not weeks.
ISO 3632 Verification on Every Batch
ISO 3632 is the only objective measure of saffron quality. It scores three compounds by spectrophotometry and sorts the result into Categories I, II, and III.
We test every harvest. We publish the numbers. We attach the COA to your order.
| Compound | What It Governs | ISO Category I Floor | Aqiq Typical Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crocin | Coloring strength | 190+ | 260 – 290+ |
| Safranal | Aroma and volatility | 20 – 50 | 40 – 55 |
| Picrocrocin | Bitterness and flavor | 70+ | Category I verified per lot |
Our Super Negin sits at the top of Category I, not the entry point. That gap is the difference between saffron that colors a dish and saffron that carries it.
What to Demand From Any Wholesale Saffron Supplier
High crocin is earned at the drying stage and lost there too. Rushed heat strips the volatile compounds that make saffron worth its price.
We dry slowly, at controlled natural temperatures, with no chemical accelerants. It costs us days of throughput during the harvest window.
It buys you a spice that still tests at Category I eighteen months into its shelf life.
Wholesale Saffron Grades and Specifications
Six grades, graded by our own team in Herat and confirmed by independent lab.
Super Negin
Long, thick, fully red stigmas with no yellow style attached. The visual benchmark for luxury retail and premium private label.
Best for: luxury packaged goods, cosmetics formulation, high-end retail jars.
Negin
All-red threads, slightly shorter than Super Negin, with the same coloring performance at a lower cost per gram.
Best for: food manufacturers, premium foodservice, branded retail lines.
Pushal
Red stigma with a short portion of yellow style attached. Strong aroma, excellent value at volume.
Best for: rice and spice blenders, industrial seasoning, volume foodservice.
Sargol
All-red, cut threads. Fast color release, ideal where infusion speed matters more than thread appearance.
Best for: beverage, dairy, confectionery, and extract production.
Saffron Powder
Milled to order from a declared grade. Full COA and lot traceability, because powder is where adulteration usually hides.
Best for: manufacturers requiring exact dosing and homogeneous dispersion.
Bunch (Daste)
Traditional whole-thread presentation with style intact. A heritage format for regional and specialty markets.
Best for: traditional retail, gifting, and Middle Eastern distribution.
Buy Saffron in Bulk: Packaging and Order Formats
We pack from the sample tin to the export drum. All food-grade, all sealed against light, oxygen, and moisture.
- Retail jars and premium tins — 1 g to 10 g, for your own branded line
- Foil pouches — 50 g to 500 g, nitrogen-flushed, foodservice standard
- Bulk export cartons — 1 kg and above, vacuum-sealed and lot-coded
- Private label — custom labels, tins, and jars from 5 kg upward
Private-label runs take 3 to 6 weeks depending on packaging complexity. Tell us your artwork deadline and we will work backward from it.
How We Quote: Pricing on Bulk Saffron
We do not publish a list price, and you should be wary of any wholesale saffron supplier who does.
Saffron moves daily. The Herat market reprices on harvest yield, grade availability, currency, and freight. A fixed public number would be stale within a week, or padded to survive the swing.
So we quote per lot, against your grade and volume, on the day you ask.
- Tell us grade and volume. We return a written quote with the lot, its COA, and the price valid to a stated date.
- Quotes are dated. You know exactly how long the number holds, so procurement can plan against it.
- Contract buyers get a band. Commit to annual volume and we agree a ceiling and floor, so a bad harvest does not become your problem alone.
How the Sourcing Relationship Works
Five steps from first email to standing order. No procurement theater.
1. Tell Us the Application
Cosmetics formulation and rice blending need different grades. We ask what you are making before we recommend what you buy.
2. Order a Commercial Sample Box
We ship 5 to 10 g of each grade you are evaluating, worldwide, with the COA for each. Sample cost is credited to your first wholesale order.
3. Test It Against Your Current Supplier
Run it through your own lab or your own kitchen. We would rather lose a deal on evidence than win one on a brochure.
4. Agree Volume, Grade, and Cadence
We quote on annual volume, not one-off spot orders. Committed buyers get harvest-window priority.
5. Ship, Trace, Reorder
Every carton carries its lot code. Your next order references it, and we match the profile.
Sourcing from a specific origin? See our Afghan saffron wholesale hub for Herat provenance, import documentation, and supply-chain detail.
Compliance, Documentation, and Logistics
Your customs broker and your QA team get what they need on the first pass.
- ISO 3632 Certificate of Analysis, per lot
- ISO 22000 food-safety processing standards
- Certificate of Origin and phytosanitary documentation
- Full lot traceability from farm to carton
- Cold-chain and EU food-safety compliance handled in-house
We have shipped into the UAE, Germany, the UK, the US, and Canada since 2018. The paperwork is routine for us.
Who We Supply
- Spice importers and distributors building a credible single-origin line
- Food manufacturers needing lot-consistent color and aroma at scale
- Luxury cosmetics formulators specifying crocin and safranal thresholds
- Executive chefs and restaurant groups buying quality they can taste
- Private-label grocery buyers launching a premium SKU — see our private label saffron guide
Evaluating on lab data? Our ISO 3632 testing and Certificate of Analysis page sets out the category thresholds and how to read a COA.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum order for wholesale saffron?
Bulk saffron pricing starts at 1 kg. Private-label packaging begins at 5 kg. Below that, we would rather sell you a sample box than a bad fit.
How much does wholesale saffron cost?
There is no fixed price. Saffron is indexed to the Herat harvest market and moves daily on yield, grade, currency, and freight. We quote per lot against your grade and volume, and every quote states the date it expires.
Can I get a Certificate of Analysis before I buy?
Yes. We send the COA for the specific lot we are quoting, not a generic marketing document. Ask and it is in your inbox the same week.
How do I verify a batch is genuine Aqiq saffron?
Every export package carries a unique lot code tied to its harvest date, farm, grade, and lab results. Send us the code and we confirm all four.
Do you ship year-round or only after harvest?
Year-round. We store in controlled conditions and release against contract. Harvest runs a two-week window each October, and committed buyers get first allocation.
How do I choose a wholesale saffron supplier?
Ask three questions: which farms, which lab, and which lot. A supplier who can answer all three in writing is selling you saffron. One who cannot is selling you a brand.
Do you offer private-label packaging?
Yes, from 5 kg. Custom labels, branded tins, custom glass jars, and full packaging design. Lead time is 3 to 6 weeks.
Start With a Sample Box, Not a Contract
Ask for the sample box. Test it against whatever you buy today. Then decide.
We have been shipping direct from Herat since 2018, and we grow only as fast as quality permits.