Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/235863
NEW Virginia Products 2014 LEADERSHIP AWARD: VISION Caryl Levine, Lotus Foods H VIRGINIA FOOD & BEVERAGE EXPO March 26, 2014 Greater Richmond Convention Center 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. • Hundreds of Virginia Food & Beverage Products on Display • Free Admission for Buyers • Added Bonus! Enjoy Hotel Discounts at Participating Richmond Area Hotels • Not Open to the Public • For Trade Only Pre-Register Today Vaexpo.com 1.800. 284.9452 PHOTO: LOTUS FOODS Sample and Place Orders at the aving pioneered an effort to take rice farmers from conventional to organic farming, Levine and her husband, Ken Lee, had already made an environmental impact. But they found an even higher calling when they joined an innovative sustinable-farming program that would benefit rice suppliers, consumers and the environment. Inspiration Organic rice was Levine and Lee's goal when launching Lotus Foods nearly 18 years ago: educating farmers in Southeast Asia about the value of organic farming, and teaching consumers the benefits of eating organic rice. The many heirloom varieties the brand comprises today were virtually unknown in the U.S. before Lotus Foods brought back the likes of black Forbidden Rice from China and red rice from Bhutan. "From the very outset, we always wanted to be innovators," says Levine. But it wasn't until Cornell University approached the company for a partnership that the couple embarked on an even bolder effort. Researchers were seeking to implement an improved method of rice farming, called System of Rice Intensification, that would conserve resources—primarily water—and increase yields for rice farmers. Joining forces with an established business that had the marketing knowhow, a positive image and a growing following ensured a ready and willing consumer base for the resulting crops. SRI became the catchier More Crop Per Drop, which also became the name of the company's line of sustainably grown rice, and Lotus Foods set to work on showing consumers what made their new rice so special. Impact Traditional rice farming in countries such as Bhutan, Cambodia, China and Indonesia involves a surfeit of resources that often drain farming families to the point of poverty. "Imagine being a farmer and not having enough to eat," Levine says. With the demand for water, fertilizer, pesticides and other supplies in conventional farming, "it was a negative sum at the end of the harvest." Where old methods called for continuous flooding of rice paddies, SRI taught farmers to alternate wet and dry periods, resulting in a 25 to 50 percent reduction in water use and fewer methane emissions (caused by the rotting of roots with constant flooding). Winter Fancy Food show Booth 307 36 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com