farms & co-ops
In the 1970s, Afghanistan was a global leader in the production of high quality dried fruits and nuts. Unfortunately, due to conflict and the unstable economic climate that followed, the country’s farms were unable to invest in the modern technology needed to keep up with global demand.
Working directly with small-scale farms and cooperatives, Ziba sources only the highest quality agricultural products, many grown wild without active cultivation. By combining traditional growing techniques with modern food safety standards, Ziba works to restore Afghanistan to its position as a world-renowned provider of dried fruits and nuts
HEIRLOOM FARMS
Most Afghans rely on agriculture to feed their families and to earn a livelihood, but large-scale commercial farms are virtually nonexistent. The size and yield of Afghan farms is such that the products grown on them pass down through generations as true heirlooms. The excellent quality for which Afghan dried fruit and nuts have been known for centuries remains protected and nurtured within the diverse network of family farms from which Ziba buys its products.
WILD LAND
Pistachios and mulberries are some of the products which grow wild across Afghanistan’s countryside – products which are foraged and gathered at harvest time by local communities, not cultivated or adulterated in any way. Ziba’s wild-grown products are the purest that can be found – from the precious few places left on earth where things have remained unchanged for centuries.
TRACEABILITY
Knowing where your food comes from is a critical part of ethical decision-making, and today it is more difficult than ever to be confident of the source and treatment of your food. Ziba ensures that our Afghan products remain world-class by batch tracking and tracing the Ziba products that you buy all the way back to the farms where they were grown. We are committed to sourcing directly from Afghan farmers and village-level cooperatives whenever possible so that we are confident that when you buy from Ziba, you are getting only the highest- quality Afghan-grown products.
where we grow
the growing season
our facility
Ziba’s headquarters is a purpose-built factory in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. We built the factory in 2015 for the express purpose of exporting beautiful Afghan dried fruit and nuts to international markets in a modern, professional way for the first time. The facility has been HACCP-certified since we began operations in 2016, and it is staffed and managed by our dedicated team of Afghans, 80% of whom are female. All of our products are hand sorted, manually inspected for quality, and packed for shelf-ready shipment inside the facility. Basing our operation inside Afghanistan rather than in less-challenging places outside the country creates jobs, bolsters the local economy and allows Afghans to get more value from the products grown in their country.
