rumi spice owners
I am proud that the company I co-founded is making progress towards a better future for Afghanistan, for farmers, for women, one saffron flower at a time. Right now we have 9 and we've already gone back to 2 or 3 of them to buy more saffron and as we scale up, we are gathering a list and interviewing these farmers and getting to know them and having our contacts in their communities kind of figure out what their wasta is, because that's the most important thing. Coincidentally, I was talking with Keith Alaniz, who's the co founder, on the phone and he was in Afghanistan at the time. The women, who had hopes and dreams and waited patiently for a chance. Supporting an entire family off of $500 is really hard, really tough. Groups of 8 and above are required to have a banquet. Rumi Spice was founded by a number of army veterans, including our guest, co founder Kimberly Jung. 03/28/2021 . I bought saffron from them and they gave me some of the most gorgeous and fragrant saffron I've ever seen. Kim's story of an Afghan farmer who is doing all the right things and still couldn't make it work sheds a little light. Our latest Unconventionals guest saw this as a business opportunity. I hand carried our first shipment of saffron back to the US, and Rumi Spice was born. When you first hear that Rumi Spice story, part of you thinks, "Of course, this is such a great idea. Willis met Kimberly Jung, the CEO and co-founder of Rumi Spice, in 2016 during the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California. I bought myself a ticket to Afghanistan. But a few Army veterans sensed an opportunity while serving there, and Rumi Spice — a company looking to grow the American saffron market— was born. They attended Harvard Business school after their tours of duty and had this basic insight. This is who you experience when you talk to Kim and Rumi Spice. We have a network of 7 to 8 farmers and that's growing right now. They developed our strong Afghan networks and on-the-ground understanding of how business is conducted. Rumi Spice started with a conversation, but it wasn’t during a typical business meeting. We talk about that on the show is interesting disruptive businesses often times have to come up with new ways to measure their impact and maybe the traditional Harvard Business School, in fact one of the principles that comes out of Harvard Business School gets credit for is that if you can't count it, it doesn't count, right? The whole cycle of opiate addiction, from poppies to painkillers to heroin, that feel pretty intractable, right? To quote Kim, "Leading soldiers is one of the best privileges I've ever had in my life." You could get farmers to grow saffron, which is more valuable by weight than gold, instead of poppies. I'm [inaudible 00:25:21] To hear more episodes of The Unconventionals, visit PJAradio.com. (Photo: Kim Jung/Rumi Spice) “Our favorite saying when times got tough was: ‘Drop by drop, a river is made,’ which is an Afghan proverb,’” Miller said. These Afghan farmers, their average income is $500 a year to support themselves and their families and sometimes they have 1 maybe 2 wives and couple of children. They don't care who it comes from and I think it really builds relationships. They're signing up farmers, building their wasta, and selling product in the US. All items can be purchased on the company’s website, and .5-gram jars of saffron are now available in the U.S. at all Whole Foods Market locations. I was a first year student at Harvard Business School and I was interviewing for consulting gigs and investment banking and it just didn't feel right. Chief Executive Officer at Rumi Spice -- On a mission to use Spice as a Force for Good. You can trace the modern movement around business and social mission to the early 1990's when groups like Business's for Social Responsibility emerged, but it wasn't until recently that the notion of two bottom lines, money and mission, was formalized legally. CHEF ALI MESGHALI. It was surprising for someone who comes off as world weary as he does. RUMI’S KITCHEN. It's just a matter of educating the public on how awesome saffron is because it's loaded with antioxidants, it's actually an antidepressant and many studies have shown that and supported that. Absolutely, I think that's actually one of the key things that plagues both the saffron industry and Afghanistan because you have a lot of well meaning organizations with lots of money come in and they want to do good, but they don't do enough due diligence to figure out who's who and who's actually in it for good. Jung and Miller, Army veterans who served in … In short, she was signing up for something bigger than herself. I could have three ears and five hands and I think if I gave them income through Rumi Spice, that they would treat me fairly and they would treat me well and I think this is actually the foundation of our entire business and what I really think business is all about and how I can help with social impact. They're telling their friends the same thing. Is that a concept that applies to you, too? Rumi Spice appeared on “Shark Tank” seeking a $250,000 investment for five percent equity. The little filaments, yes, there's actually 3 to 5 stigmas per flower, so it takes 175,000 flowers to make one Kilogram of saffron and it all has to be hand picked, which is why it's so expensive. Saffron hasn't really been going on for very long in the Wardak province. Named after the 13th-century Persian poet, Rumi Spice partners with rural Afghan farmers to bring top-quality, sustainably-farmed saffron to customers around the world. Patti D. ... Chief Executive Officer at Rumi Spice -- On a mission to use Spice as a Force for Good. You are the universe in ecstatic motion." In her mind, Rumi Spice is part of the same longing to serve, to make a difference. To make saffron a major crop, Rumi Spice has to convince poppy farmers to switch and that means over coming tradition and the economic arguments around poppy growing. Public social benefit actually translates into numbers. When people say, "It's a bad idea." Join us next time and we'll take a look at the sharing economy, but it isn't cars or apartments. She decided on West Point instead, to serve her country, to be a leader. Our expertise in marketing complex offerings in memorable ways helps innovation-driven companies like yours succeed. I don't like to put forth the military experience as much when I'm talking with the farmers, although I will say that being a business woman is definitely different for them, at the end of the day it's about closing a deal and making income. Poppies are a major cash crop in Afghanistan and Afghan farmers produce 92% of the world's non pharmaceutical grade opiates. Named after the Persian poet Jalal al-Din Rumi, our company partners with Afghan farmers to bring top-quality, sustainably farmed saffron to the international market. Those are great gigs. I'm sure a great place to start ups isn't on the list. I drank tea with elders and got marriage proposals that would give my squad leaders goats in exchange. This guy had the initiative, he had the guts, he went the extra mile to make this happen and at the end of the day, nothing happened because the person who was his point of contact ended up going back to the States because her stint was done. Afghanistan is something we don't really want to think about and they don't have the typical start up stories. As much as I hate to say it, what counts sometimes can't be counted. Kimberly Jung, left, and Emily Miller co-founded Rumi Spice with two other people in 2014. We all thought this was such a shame. For instance, what about opiate addiction in the United States? It's the same growing region as Cashmere, which is currently recognized as the world's premier saffron agricultural land, so Afghanistan is the exact same climate. Going out to interact with the Afghan population to help serve their needs and maybe give them some health care supplements or try to figure out some sort of political representation for Afghan ruled women. - The story of -Rumi Spice: change, entrepreneurship,& capitalism. It serves a dual purpose, which is, it helps Afghanistan and it could be Afghanistan's core competency and president Ashraf Ghani actually has a saffron role out as part of his economic development plan. Another challenge we talked about is how to convince farmers to grow saffron. It takes our company, people like us in Rumi Spice to say, "No, I think those assumptions are wrong." This is simple to say but super complicated in practice. So I leaned in. Kimberly Jung co-founded Rumi Spice after serving in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. There are two types of people in this world: people who see the world as it is, and people who see the world as it will become. The Army took me to Germany, all over Europe, and into Afghanistan. I think that there's other ways of laying a foundation for peace or reaching people that don't involve guns and don't involve billions of dollars funneled through NGO's and maybe I'm being a little harsh, but really going by a very simple way, which is business and it's been tried and true for thousands of years. I returned this time as a civilian. It doesn't even matter if it's really big or really small. He had a CD full of pictures, he actually took a video of himself, interviewed himself, talked about his business. The Rumi mission is using spice as a force for good. Where as saffron, it's much harder to get the corms, which are the seeds and not very many farmers know how to farm it outside of the Harrat region. The company also sells multiple exotic spice blends, tea, and jam, as well as gift sets. Absolutely, in 2014 it peaked, unfortunately for everybody else, but I think there's a misconception out there that Afghan farmers are doing this because they actively want to contribute to the drug trade and that's completely not the case. Definitely have gotten phrases that we're crazy or that we're really, really brave, a lot of support, too. While serving in the Army in Afghanistan, Keith Alaniz met Haji Yusef, a Herat farmer trying to sell saffron in his local market. Now it's our turn. Rumi Spice Rumi Spice is the premier Afghan public-benefit corporation, cultivating peace through sustainable […] That's the same thing for all companies. Post production and technical direction by Reid Mangan with Anthony Gentles. For bookings of more than 30 people, please send an enquiry or call us on (03) 9388 8255. Our Creative Director is Aaron Dasilva. It's just a matter of connecting the saffron to the international market. Join Community Dining along with Kimberly Jung and Emily Miller, the co-founders of Rumi Spice, for an evening of delicious appetizers and desserts incorporating Rumi Spice’s saffron prepared by Chef Aram Reed at a private undisclosed location in Chicago’s Lakeview area. Kim Jung, a Rumi Spice co-founder, and an Afghan farmer show the saffron that had been farmed there for the company. "I felt there was a commitment we needed to fulfill beyond our military one," Jung said. The women, who made up the bedrock of Afghanistan. Primary Office. Meet Kim, Emily, and Keith. Absolutely, and I think this is where the benefit corp comes in because we have that double bottom line and we're accountable not just for the traditional dollar numbers, but also for the social benefit part. They attended Harvard Business school after their tours of duty and had this basic insight. A year later, we’ve reached over 45,000 households in the nation and we are now 5% of Afghanistan’s total saffron production. Exactly, especially knowing that me and my co founders go back to Afghanistan voluntarily as civilians, I think people think that we're just crazy, but the people who are afraid of that, again it's that lack of engagement with people. That's coming up after the break on PJA Radios The Unconventionals. Rumi Spice is U.S. based company started by a group of Afghan War veterans to export the highest quality saffron from Afghanistan to the rest of the world. PERSIAN CUISINE. I hand carried our first shipment of saffron back to the US, and Rumi Spice was born. Trading out really bad poppies for really great saffron. Her military background can be tricky, particularly on the ground in Afghanistan, so she doesn't lead with it. Eventually, as we get big, I think some of the indicators for what would be is if farmers are coming to us to ask, "Hey, can we be part of your network?" A year later, we’ve reached over 45,000 households in the nation and we are now 5% of Afghanistan’s total saffron production. One of the questions they ask us is, "What will you do with your one wild and precious life?" Started by a team of US military veterans who served combat tours in Afghanistan, Rumi sources saffron from local Afghan farms and employs more than 1900 women in Herat, Afghanistan to hand-harvest the delicate stigmas of the flowers. There's areas in Chicago I would say, or Detroit that could be a lot more dangerous. Do they get in the way? One gram on the market goes anywhere between $10 to $40 a gram. Rumi Spice seeks to cultivate peace in Afghanistan through market-driven development and sustainable business. In some instances, more valuable by weight than gold, a saffron crop meant Afghan farmers could septuple their annual income with a single sale. Which is actually already happening, which is amazing. Rumi Spice Before Shark Tank Stepping into the Shark Tank are three veterans, all hoping to help farmers in a wartorn country by capitalizing on a rare commodity. Veterans and startup founders. That's a pretty big problem. Afghanistan is a huge player in the global opium trade. Jung, Miller and Alaniz founded Rumi Spice, and began sourcing from Afghan farmers, employing Afghan women to harvest the delicate stigmas (a painstakingly labor-intensive process), and selling the product in the United States. How a veteran-founded business delivering top-quality spices is changing lives. Goods don't cross borders, armies will. We make up 3.6% of Afghanistan’s total foreign direct investment in agriculture. Everybody talks about those. Our Executive Producer is Phil Johnson for PJA advertising and marketing. We’ve hired 60 women who are paid direct wages. This is where you're shopping for customers or shopping for farmers. They brought me the most fragrant saffron I’ve ever smelled and laid eyes on, in a cardboard box wrapped in string. Absolutely, and some places it's as valuable as gold by weight. This guy has seen everything and he called himself in his speech a short term pessimist but a long term optimist. It's got to be something that's worth doing. We want to know what you're cooking with Rumi Spice! The medicinal properties in saffron provide many health benefits. I met with our Afghan farmers, some of whom would not shake my hand because I am a woman. Rumi was a 13th century Persian poet whose visions, words, and life teach us how to reach inner peace, happiness, and love. With banquet options that cater for dietary requirements and friendly staff, Rumi is the ideal function venue. Primary Industry. Saffron is one of the world’s most expensive spices, in big part because it's hard to find good places to grow it. My mother brought me up strictly southern Baptist with my eyes set on Stanford. You poured your heart into your work. It's about knowing the people in Afghanistan, and knowing the culture, and knowing the environment. Back in Boston, I went door to door selling our saffron. Another reason why this isn't booming is that the saffron market in the US is actually quite small. Saffron is actually the stigma of the crocus flower, which is purple, and if you've seen pictures of it and you can look on our website for the pictures, it's beautiful. This is where I think we have a little bit more leeway. " Stop acting so small . These are farmers that were already growing saffron? Quick, what do you think of when you think of Afghanistan? Check this video below to see how this product is made. For example, when we buy 2 kilo's from one farmer, it septuples his income, also add that saffron gives farmers up to 6 times more income than growing poppy for opium. We have both your normal income statement with profit and then you also have your social impact, which we are supposed to report every two years. You're developing your own wasta, your own clout. I've met them in person and they've been telling their friends and family's how they know this American business woman who came and visited them and who's buying saffron from them and they've told us now that they're doubling their production of saffron next year. You could get farmers to grow saffron, which is more valuable by weight than gold, instead of poppies. He's a guy who served 4 presidents on both sides of the aisle, Nixon, Reagan, Bush and Clinton. I found myself falling in love with Afghanistan and the people, especially the women. One major thing standing in the way is the Afghan brand. The women who had voices but rarely could exercise them. We're hiring this many people, with this wage, at this time and there's going to be a marketing person in Afghanistan, or we hire a video production firm in Afghanistan run by Afghans, so this to me all counts as social impact because it goes back directly to Afghans and helps develop their economy. None of this would be possible if I didn’t lean in, but more importantly, get a whole bunch of people to lean in with me. Rumi Spice was founded by a number of army veterans, including our guest, co founder Kimberly Jung. Food Products. Is that part of what you guys want to tackle as a company, is growing a market in the States? To learn more about the show and join in on the conversation, check out our Facebook page, Facebook.com/unconventionalsradio our academic sponsor for the Unconventionals is the center on Global Brand Leadership at Columbia Business School, which turns the research of academia's foremost thinkers on branding into practical tools and insight for real world application. They're battle tested, for sure, but also idealistic, committed to using their talents to tackle the worlds big problems. It didn't feel right for my personality and what I stood for. After I got out of the Army, I went to business school, where they asked me, “What will you do with your one wild and precious life?” My Army friend Keith told me about a farmer named Haji Yosef who attempted in vain to sell his gorgeous saffron through various aid organizations. There would be no Rumi Spice without the 4,000 women who are the backbone of the saffron industry surrounding Herat, Afghanistan. Thanks for listening. That's when you know that you should probably do it. How does your status as an American, a former army officer and a woman, are those neutral? Which is meant to say you're brave but maybe kind of stupid? Rumi’s founders were a team of military veterans who served in Afghanistan with the US Army. It's a source of steady income because they know that organizations like the Taliban will buy it from them and sometimes they enter into agreements ahead of time and it's also what they know and it's something that can give them for sure income. That's what you do though, right? I knew I had found my calling. Promotion and Social Strategy by Greg Straface and Graham Spector. I remember that hitting me and I'm thinking, "What do I want to do waking up every day and feeling good about what I'm doing?" They can say that we're crazy, but this is at the tip of the spear and this is why people think it's crazy, otherwise everybody would be doing it. How many farmers do you have that you work with? Best for the World Honoree info_outline link Best for Community 2019 link Best for Governance 2017 Rumi Spice, PBC is a team of military veterans sourcing the world's highest quality saffron direct from Afghan farmers, who are also their partners.
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