Anantnag : At a time when studies estimate that 70
to 80 percent of saffron sold globally is adulterated — mixed with dyed corn
silk, coconut fibers, or synthetic coloring — a young Kashmiri entrepreneur is
building what may be India’s most transparent supply chain for authentic
Kashmiri products. Kaunain Kaisar Wani, Founder and CEO of Kashmiril, is
leveraging direct farmer relationships, ISO-standard lab testing, and a
content-first digital strategy to reconnect consumers with the real produce of
Kashmir.
A Heritage Under Threat
The numbers tell a troubling
story. Kashmiri saffron production has plummeted from approximately 16 tonnes
per year to less than 3 tonnes over the past two decades — a decline exceeding
80 percent — driven by climate change, shrinking agricultural land, and
urbanization in the Pampore region. What little genuine saffron reaches the
market is frequently undercut by cheap Iranian imports repackaged as Kashmiri,
or outright counterfeits made from turmeric and paprika.
The problem extends well
beyond saffron. Unpurified Shilajit sold online has been found to contain
dangerous levels of heavy metals including lead and arsenic. Commercial honey
marketed as “raw” and “Kashmiri” is routinely heated to temperatures
that destroy its glucose oxidase enzymes — the very compounds responsible for
its antibacterial properties. For the 30,000-plus farming families in Kashmir
who depend on these crops for their livelihood, the flood of fakes has driven
prices down and eroded consumer trust in an entire region’s produce.
“Growing up in Kashmir,
I saw the real saffron my family’s farmer friends harvested,” says
Kaunain. “When I started looking at what was being sold online as
‘Kashmiri saffron,’ I realized most consumers have never even tasted the real
thing.”
From Pampore’s Karewa
Highlands to the Consumer’s Door
Kaunain’s response to this
crisis was not to launch another e-commerce store, but to build an entirely
different kind of supply chain. Born and raised in Kashmir with direct family
connections to saffron-growing communities in Pampore, he understood both the
agricultural realities and the market failures firsthand.
Kashmiril, launched in
October 2025, sources every product directly from Kashmiri farming families —
eliminating the layers of middlemen who have historically compressed farmer
earnings while enabling adulteration at every stage. The model is
straightforward: when there are no intermediaries between the Pampore farmer
and the end consumer, there is no point at which the product can be tampered
with.
Every batch of saffron
undergoes laboratory testing aligned with ISO 3632 protocols, verifying three
critical markers — crocin content for color potency, picrocrocin for flavor,
and safranal for aroma. The results are notable. Kashmiril’s Mongra-grade
saffron tests at 18 to 22 percent crocin content, compared to the 8 to 15
percent typically found in standard Iranian varieties. This measurable chemical
superiority is a direct consequence of the Pampore terroir — the unique Karewa
highlands at 1,600 to 1,800 metres altitude, where intense UV exposure and
mineral-rich soil force the Crocus sativus plant to produce higher
concentrations of protective bioactive compounds.
“The farmers in Pampore
have been growing saffron for generations,” Kaunain explains. “When
you cut out the middlemen, two things happen — farmers earn what they deserve,
and consumers get what they’re actually paying for.”
Beyond Saffron: Mapping
Kashmir’s Full Terroir
While saffron remains
Kashmiril’s flagship, the platform has expanded to represent the full breadth
of Kashmir’s natural produce. Himalayan Shilajit, sourced from high-altitude
rock formations and sold exclusively as purified resin — not powdered capsules
that may contain fillers — comes backed by third-party Certificates of Analysis
confirming fulvic acid content and heavy metal safety.
The range includes raw,
unpasteurized Kashmiri honey in acacia, black forest, and sidr varieties, each
processed without the industrial heating that strips conventional commercial
honey of its enzymatic value. Kashmiri walnuts and mamra almonds are sourced
from orchards across the Valley, while the Chilgoza pine nuts in Kashmiril’s
catalogue carry a particular scientific interest — they contain 14 to 19
percent pinolenic acid, a fatty acid that research has linked to triggering
GLP-1 satiety hormones, compared to less than 1.5 percent in standard pine nut
varieties.
Traditional Kashmiri kehwa
teas, prepared from recipes that have remained largely unchanged for centuries,
sit alongside a newer category: saffron-based skincare and cold-pressed
Kashmiri oils. This last segment reflects Kaunain’s broader vision of
transitioning Kashmir’s produce from raw commodities into finished, value-added
products — serums, resins, and formulations rather than bulk spices sold by
weight.
Education as a Business
Strategy
Perhaps the most distinctive
aspect of Kashmiril’s approach is its content infrastructure. The brand has
published over 100 evidence-based articles on its blog and continues to publish daily,
covering topics from the biochemistry of crocin to home methods for testing
saffron authenticity — including the baking soda reaction test that can expose
synthetic dyes. The brand also offers a digital Saffron Purity Checker tool on its website.
This content-first strategy,
executed without any expenditure on paid advertising, serves a dual purpose. It
positions Kashmiril as an educational authority in a market saturated with
misleading claims, while building long-term organic visibility in a product
category where consumer trust is the primary purchase barrier.
“We publish two
articles every day because we believe an informed customer is our best
customer,” says Kaunain. “If someone reads our blog and learns how to
spot fake saffron, that’s a win even if they never buy from us.”
Scripting a New Narrative
for J&K’s Economy
Kashmiril enters the market
at a moment of broader economic transformation in Jammu and Kashmir, where the
number of registered startups has grown from a few hundred to nearly 1,000 by
late 2024. The brand represents what observers have described as the region’s
shift from raw commodity exports to intellectual property-driven ventures —
building global brands around GI-tagged products rather than selling unbranded
produce at wholesale rates.
For the saffron farming
families of Pampore, who hand-pick 150,000 flowers to produce a single kilogram
of the world’s most expensive spice, Kashmiril’s direct procurement model
offers something the traditional mandi system has not — price stability, fair
compensation, and a market that values provenance over volume.
“Kashmir produces some
of the finest natural products in the world,” Kaunain reflects. “My
goal is simple: make sure people can access the real thing, not a diluted
version of it.”
About Kashmiril: Kashmiril.com is a direct-to-consumer
platform founded in 2025 by Kaunain Kaisar Wani, based in Anantnag, Kashmir.
The brand specializes in authentic, lab-tested Kashmiri products including
GI-tagged Pampore saffron, Himalayan Shilajit, raw honey, premium dry fruits,
traditional kehwa teas, and natural skincare. For more information, visit Kashmiril.com
