Salesman Spices Up Career With Afghanistan Venture

You are here

After IT sales director Harris Qais visited Afghanistan he was shocked to see the disparity between the rich and the poor, and felt compelled to do something about it.That’s when his business King of Saffron was born – providing an outlet for Afghan farmers across the country’s 30 regions to sell their saffron crops to Harris, who in turn plans to distribute them across the globe and share a slice of his profits with his suppliers to drive job creation and education.

Saffron is a spice that is one of Afghanistan’s largest exports, with the country growing more than 4,000kg across 800 acres of land. It is used in a variety of food and drink, and is also used for medicinal purposes.

The business launched in September 2019 after initially approaching the Growth Hub in November 2018 with just an idea in his head, and is currently working with Amazon to distribute Saffron across the UK, EU and USA.

The Challenge

Harris had a vision of what he wanted to do in terms of selling Afghan farmers’ crops for them, however, he had no previous experience as a business man and needed help on how to set up a company and bring his vision to life.

This included aspects such as doing market research, identifying competitors and abiding by foreign trading regulations, through to the business structure of the company and forecasting for the year ahead.

The Solution

Harris contacted the Coventry and Warwickshire LEP (CWLEP) Growth Hub in November 2018 about his idea, and since then has worked with Gavin Barnett, Business Navigator at CWLEP Growth Hub, to kick start his career as an entrepreneur

This included building up a step-by-step guide on launching a business, and pointing him towards the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Start Up Programme, which is part of the Business Support Programme, part-financed through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to receive personalised business mentoring.

Gavin also put Harris in touch with the Department of International Trade who equipped him with the necessary documentation required to trade with specific countries, as well as advice on which countries to target first. CWLEP Growth Hub was also able to introduce Harris to the University of Warwick Science Park’s Business Ready Programme, which has unlocked contacts for Harris in the manufacturing sector to make his end-product a reality.

The Result

Harris has now launched his business, King of Saffron, with all of the right foundations in place to make a success of his venture.

He has links to 30 regions across Afghanistan where he can export on Amazon to places such as the UK, EU and USA, and has all of the necessary authenticity procedures in place to prove his product is pure and authentic.

The main aim for year one is to establish a regular trading pattern with the food, beverage and pharmaceutical customers for the raw material of Saffron, while the firm continues to make plans to create a drink and a nutritional product.
 
 

 

 

Made Smarter WM

Made Smarter is a national movement to drive growth amongst UK makers and advance the UK economy. Backed by world renowned businesses and the UK government, it will improve the development and adoption of emerging technologies. Making a real, everyday difference to people from the boardroom to the factory floor.

Find Out More

 

 

Looking for work, or have vacancies to fill?

 

CW Employment Solutions offers a service for job seekers and employers, recruiters and education leavers, to connect, find jobs, post vacancies and access the wealth of support measures that have been implemented across the region.

Click Here to Find out More

Client testimonials

Without the Growth Hubs help and assistance, we would never have been able to increase our sales & output and also grow our local business. With this help in purchasing new equipment we have expanded our operations and gained a new and increased customer base.

Nuneaton Roof Truss,

Over the past few years, Armstrongs has built up a fantastic relationship with Gary Thyeson from the Growth Hub. His advice on grants and funding has been really valuable to both Armstrongs and some of our clients. His knowledge of local business support has been helpful in signposting us to relevant support agencies as required. We look forward to working with Laura Delahunty moving forwards.

Armstrongs Accountancy LTD,

In the short time since first engaging with the Warwickshire Growth Hub we feel that Laura has understood our vision and has been so very supportive in linking us to the specialist teams who are now supporting us with training, finance and recruitment. A great service that every growing organisation should connect with

MES Systems Limited,

I have had an excellent experience working with Laura from the Growth Hub, from day one, she was taking detailed attention to my concerns and ideas. She was able to put me in contact with different organisations and people to find out answers to my questions and help me to solve some inquiries I was having. I feel this support definitely had a positive impact in my plans. 

 

PALACIOS LTD,

It’s been a fantastic inaugural eight months for the TalentTech Recruitment team and, although the reality of setting up and running a company can be a somewhat daunting experience, we have been extremely grateful for the superb help, advice and guidance given to us along our journey by Gavin Barnett and the team at CW Growth Hub. Gavin’s introductions to both Warwick & Coventry Universities and his wider business network have been absolutely invaluable.

TalentTech Recruitment LTD,

For many individuals out there, it is very hard to figure out ways and know which direction to go when it comes to setting up a business. The challenges of taking your idea and bringing it to life and not knowing where to go and who to speak to for advice. it can get very frustrating..

King of Saffron LTD,

This grant [which we received with the help of the Growth Hub and Coventry City Council] will really help us get on track for business growth and succeed with our vision. Personally, I would also like to thank the team for supporting me through the grant application process. You have been very approachable and attentive throughout.

Exeter Analytical (UK) Limited,

Thank you for the comprehensive and professional guidance

Burbidge & Son Ltd,

Over the years since the Growth Hub was set up we have habitually gone to our Account Manager as a one-stop shop for all business-related information.  It has been a really convenient way of finding suppliers, advisors and, on one occasion, we even asked for assistance with finding customers.  We are invited to a wide range of business events including business development workshops, Brexit roundtable discussions, seminars on various topics and have also been asked to speak at some events.  When we have needed additional information, for example, finding finance sources or help with selecti

Marchantcain Design Limited,

Thanks to CW Growth hub getting us access to grant funding we have been able to invest in the latest computer monitoring system, which will enable us to compete with the national companies within our industry.

Comrie Leisure Limited,

GET IN TOUCH

About

Part of the Government-supported growth hub network