Pollen Ranch

The company:  Pollen Ranch, a family company collecting plant pollens in sunny California since 1999.

The people:  Founded by David Rebb Firman, a lifetime pollen collector who helped establish the value and admiration for fennel pollen in the culinary community.

Why we picked them:  In 1999, cookbook author Peggy Knickerbocker famously wrote an article in the San Francisco Chronicle poetically describing fennel pollen she'd discovered in Italy as “the spice that angels sprinkle from their wings”. I came across that article, living in the Bay Area at the time, and it captivated my attention. It also caught the attention of one, Rebb Firman. Already possessing a unique expertise in pollen collection, thanks to skillful training from his grandmother, and an established business in the agricultural side of pollen collection, Rebb was inspired to pursue harvesting fennel pollen commercially. There couldn’t have been a more perfect person to collect, store, clean, and extract the essence of wild fennel, and Rebb’s savvy pursuits set the stage for the surge in fennel pollen’s popularity among chefs and gourmets. Pollen Ranch has expanded to include dill pollen and a variety of exceptional pollen spice blends, and we’re delighted to bring these extraordinary ingredients to your kitchen.