Designing and Assessing an Italy-Based Business Model for Direct Sourcing of Persian Saffron from Iran to the European Market

This thesis develops and critically assesses a business model for a proposed trading company that would import Persian saffron directly from Iranian producers and supply it to European business customers through a hub in Italy. The main target customers are small and medium-sized producers of premium and artisanal food products. Own-brand retail sales are also included as a secondary channel, but the main focus of the model is B2B supply. The study uses the Business Model Canvas to develop the initial model and identify the assumptions on which it depends. These assumptions are then examined through market and industry evidence, including trade data, European market information, regulatory sources, competitor information, and academic literature. The model is then assessed strategically in terms of value creation, competitive differentiation, the strategic role of Italy, and the conditions under which it could become viable. The analysis shows that the model responds to an identifiable value-chain issue in the saffron market. Iran produces most of the world's saffron, while part of the commercial value is created later through packaging, branding, documentation, and market access. The study also shows that quality documentation, traceability, and origin information are relevant in the European spice trade. Direct sourcing, laboratory testing, and documented origin are already offered by existing suppliers, however, so differentiation would depend on combining these elements around a narrowly defined customer segment rather than on any single feature. The thesis concludes that the proposed opportunity is strategically credible and potentially attractive, but conditional rather than proven. Assumptions concerning market structure are supported by external evidence, while assumptions concerning buyer behaviour, including supplier switching, repeat purchasing, and willingness to pay, still require direct commercial validation.