Small Biz: U.S. Army Vets Import Saffron To Chicago And Aid Afghanistan

saffron
Pixabay
saffron
Pixabay

Small Biz: U.S. Army Vets Import Saffron To Chicago And Aid Afghanistan

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

It’s National Small Business Week, so Morning Shift will be speaking with a different small business each day.

We kick things off with Rumi Spice, an outfit based in Back of the Yards that imports saffron from Afghanistan for distribution in the United States.

The company founders are U.S. military veterans who served in Afghanistan and went on to Harvard Business School. They’re driven by the desire to create a profitable business, but also by the mission to support Afghan farmers so they do not have to grow poppy for opium production. We talk with Chief Operating Officer Emily Miller.