‘’Mid-October to mid-November is harvest season,’’ says Daniel Jeitziner, president of the Mund Saffron Guild. Mund, population 532, a village some 1,200 meters (3,950 feet) above sea level, has had a saffron crop since the 14th century although nobody’s quite sure how close that guestimate is to being accurate or exactly how the saffron crocus made its way here.
According to Mund’s own website, the saffron crocus came over from North Africa to Spain with the Moors, then to France, from where it is presumed to have been brought and planted in Switzerland. Its origins are unknown, some say India, others Afghanistan or Iran. It was known to the Greeks, however, and the Romans.
Saffron is Dried Crocus Stigmas
Jeitziner says that the harvest consists of the growers and their families going out, bending over the ground-hugging, delicate violet-petalled flowers, and gently pulling the blossom off the stem. Processing the saffron after picking is a family affair, as members sit around a table and separate the three deep red stigmas from each plant out from the petals. These are then dried naturally for a couple of days before weighing and packing. ‘’We are talking about such small yields – there was only a total of 2 kilos in 2007, for example – that growers don’t hire outside help for the harvest, although people who happen to be there can of course watch.’’ However, as an observer picking a few strands for oneself is strictly forbidden and subject to hefty fines.
It takes some 130 flowers to yield 1 gram (0.035 oz) of saffron, which retails for 28 Swiss francs (just over $27) per gram, or about $27,000 per kilo. Although saffron is commonly described as the most expensive spice in the world, for these growers cultivating it is a bit of extra income; none of them can live from the activity. One of the perks is having plenty of saffron for their own use, and for much-appreciated gifts to friends, Jeitziner says.
Aside from a few plants in the garden of a Geneva farmer, and possibly some other garden cultures around the country, Mund is the only place in Switzerland - and one of the few places beyond southern Europe - where saffron is grown. In 2004, Mund Saffron was accorded AOP status (PDO, for Protected Designation of Origin) by Swiss federal authorities. To situate Mund's production within world output, log on to the Crocus Bank website. Saffron prices vary worldwide depending on how rare, pure and qualitatively good the spice is but typically range between $500 and $1,000 a lb – that’s some $1,100 to $11,000 per kilo. However, prices for the best and rarest like Mund saffron can go up to $50,000 or more.
Mund Saffron Opportunities for Tourists
The Jägerheim rents a few rooms for those who want accommodation in the village. There may be some saffron (sold in threads by gram) in the village store, the Konsum Verein, and some other products may be on offer there as well, like saffron bread and pasta. Local restaurants, the Safran and the Salwald, are known for dishes featuring Mund saffron.
As the Mund website reveals, saffron-themed tourism activities in English are virtually non-existent and could, locally at least, only be arranged well ahead if at all. A Saffron Museum housed in a 15th century wood building opened in 2007 and can be visited on Wednesdays and week-ends during October or by appointment, but signage and regular tours are in German or French. This also holds true for various guided saffron walking tours – although there is a signposted 90-minute saffron walk, the ‘’Safranlehrpfad’,’ you can do on your own, but again, explanatory text panels are not in English. The nearest source of information in English about options in Mund and how to get there is the brig-belalp.ch tourism office.
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