Six hundred years ago, wars were fought and empires built over the spice trade. Today, Ami Kapilevich will tell you, the business is a lot more modern and professional, but it hasn’t lost its swashbuckling excitement
You see peppercorns, Kirstin van der Spreng sees battlegrounds over black gold. Each year, the mighty Indian and Vietnamese pepper co-operatives sell their yields at an auction, and each year the price has been climbing like a fabled cryptocurrency. But for Kirstin, who is in charge of product development at Cape Herb and Spice, the main condiment supplier to Woolworths, price is no object. You get what you pay for, and for Kirstin only the very best pepper will do.
Speaking of which, Kirstin’s CEO wonders whether saffron is worth the effort. Saffron costs R33 000 per kilogram. It takes 60 pickers three whole days to pick one kilo of the tiny threads from a field of saffron crocus flowers, almost all of which are found in Iran. Saffron doesn’t make business sense. But you can’t make a real paella without it, so Kirstin, who came top of her class in chef’s school, has put her foot down. And her boss knows when to back off.
Bu hikaye Woolworths TASTE dergisinin March 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Woolworths TASTE dergisinin March 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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