- Krokos
Krokos is a small Greek town of 5.000 inhabitants, only 5 km south of the city of
Kozani . It is the seat of the municipality ofElimeia , which is expected to join the municipality ofKozani by the end of 2006. Krokos has a modern telecommunications infrastructure, including broadband internet availability by means ofADSL .Krokos Kozanis (Saffron)
Krokos is renowned in Greece and abroad for the production of the Greek Macedonian
Saffron , which is one of the world's most intense and valuable varieties.Although the ancientMinoan s were known to cultivate saffron during Late Bronze Age Crete, the cultivation of the plant disappeared from Greece until about 300 years ago, when GreekMacedonian traders brought the plant fromAustria to the region ofKozani . The town of Krokos is the base of the Cooperative of Saffron Producers of Kozani, a cooperative that counts 2000 members spread between 40 small villages.Annual production, depending on weather conditions, ranges from 6 to 12 tons of pure red saffron each year. Much of this production iscertified organic . All of it isProtected Designation of Origin (PDO); no other region of Greece can produce Greek Red Saffron. It is also extremely high-quality: Greek Red Saffron, as provided by the Kozani Cooperative, has a guaranteed coloring strength of 230.External links
* [http://www.safran.gr/plantArea.htm Krokos Kozanis]
* [http://www.kozani.gr/krokos/index.htm Krokos Kozanis]
* [http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/qual/en/1137_en.htm EU agriculture quality policy]
* [http://greekproducts.com/saffron/ saffron]
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