· Harvest note
Harvest 2026: the first lot released under the new grading protocol
Lot SW-26-07 is the first saffron we have released with a complete grading file: ISO 3632 colouring strength, moisture, and a sealed retention sample for every carton.
Every harvest at Sunward follows the same path: pick, separate, dry, rest, grade, release. What changed this year is the last two steps.
Until now, grading happened on a sample pulled at the end of drying. From lot SW-26-07 onward, every drying batch is measured separately for colouring strength (ISO 3632-2 spectrophotometry at 440 nm), moisture and volatile matter before it is allowed into the blending room. A batch that misses the category I threshold is held back and dried again or downgraded; it never averages into a lot.
The practical result for buyers is a grading file that follows the carton: a certificate per lot, the measurements per batch behind it, and a sealed retention sample we keep for two years.
What is in the file
- Colouring strength (E1% 440 nm) per batch, plus the lot mean.
- Moisture and volatile matter.
- Floral waste and foreign matter.
- Room, cycle and drying profile identifiers so a result can be traced to a specific run.
Why it matters
Natural saffron trades on trust. Most of the market still prices on origin and appearance, which is why adulteration and mislabelled grades persist. A measured file replaces that guesswork with numbers a procurement team can audit.
Lot SW-26-07 is fully committed. The 2027 harvest is open for allocation — talk to us if you want a position.