I am Marc Pfefen, saffron producer since 2014. Since my early childhood I have always been drawn to the world of plants. My mother likes to remind me that I knew how to grow vegetables even before I could read. Realizing that the family farm was too small to be taken over, I preferred to pursue university studies in the agro-food area. I then worked for 18 years in a food industry as a quality manager. At 40 I left the industry because I felt this world was no longer corresponding to my peasant values ​​which have been in my DNA since my childhood. I wanted to regain contact with the ground. Very quickly, the cultivation of saffron seemed obvious to me; Indeed, what I like is that all operations need to be done manually. I'm happy when my hands are in the ground. The beginnings were not easy and especially the first harvests. Indeed "crocus sativus" are very capricious plants and the number of flowers collected varies every day. It is therefore necessary to adapt human resources on a daily basis to be able to harvest all the flowers. Today we have a team of regulars who understand the specificity of this crop and the harvest is going very well. My schedule is varying a lot! I’m alternating between maintaining the saffron plant, traveling to meet my customers and shipping the products. My days also vary according to the seasons; Autumn is a very intense period with the organization of the harvest and the weeding before the winter period. My wife and my uncle are always present on the farm. My wife helps me with sales and organizing the harvest throughout the year and my uncle is regularly present to help me maintain the saffron plantation. I wanted to integrate Crowdfarming because the concept makes it possible to put the producer in touch directly with the consumer. In addition, consumers want to know the history of the product and its producer before purchasing it. The principle of adopting a saffron plant enables to establish a relationship of trust between the consumer and the producer.

Our crocus plantation is located in Durrenentzen, a small Alsatian village between Colmar and the river Rhin. We benefit from a very localized microclimate around Colmar. Thanks to the Vosges barrier, rainfall is the lowest in France. Alsace is a hot spot of French gastronomy since the region has no less than 52 starred restaurants! This gastronomic wealth has made it possible to develop a network of small producers supplying restaurants with local products. It was in 2014 that I decided to create my saffron box, which I named "safran étoilé - Star Saffron”, taking inspiration from the Michelin stars awarded by the famous red guide. This name describes my approach well: Produce little to produce well! Our crocus fields are 0.5 hectares big. They have belonged to our family for several decades. My grandparents and recently my uncle grew vegetables there before it was left fallow. I am the only one working on the crocus fields throughout the year, with the exception of the harvest where we use a dozen seasonal workers. During the harvest, my wife actively supports me, notably by managing the team responsible for removing the pistils from the flowers (pruning). We practice a biodynamic culture and we do not use any chemicals. All operations are carried out manually, from planting to harvesting, including weeding. Growing saffron requires very little water. On average, we irrigate our saffron plantation once or twice to help start the bulbs' vegetative cycle. The water is coming from the groundwater; we are fortunate to have the largest groundwater in Europe which is fed by the Rhin. The cultivation of saffron generates no waste. Once the saffron pistils have been taken from the flower, we disperse the petals in our vegetable garden. As the harvest is progressing, a magnificent carpet of purple flowers is gradually being formed. These petals will provide a natural fertilizer for our future vegetables.