Founder's Story
I am Mohammad Salehi, the owner of Heray Spice. My roots are deeply embedded in the soil of Herat, Afghanistan, where I spent the first 21 years of my life.
Following high school, I took on a meaningful role as a Local Military Linguist for the US Army & US Marines at Camp Stone in Herat, Afghanistan.
In 2014, I embarked on a new journey, immigrating to Chicago, Illinois. While adjusting to life in a new land, I dedicated 7 years to pursuing higher education, becoming the first in my family's generations to complete a college degree. I hold both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer and cyber security from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT).
Heray Spice's Starting Point
My upbringing in a farming family sensitized me to the struggles farmers face in Afghanistan merely to make a basic living. This realization gave me more passion to establish Heray Spice, a company in Chicago (and cooperative in Afghanistan) committed to ensuring farmers receive fair compensation for their saffron and crops, enabling them to educate their children and build a brighter future for themselves.
Our Mission
1) Uplifting smallholder farmers’ community by paying fair wages for their saffron and crops.
2) Making authentic Afghanistan saffron & single origin spices accessible to chefs and home-cooks in United States.
3) Helping farmers to cultivate saffron instead of poppy seeds.
4) Employing Afghanistan women, and contributing to education projects by giving 5% of our net-income back to education charities via Code To Inspire.
