Our Journey

Hailstones in May

On the 18th May 2021, I was sitting at home, worried. I’d recently quit my job searching for something with a greater sense of ‘purpose’, but I had no idea where that would come from.

I looked outside on that early summer afternoon to see hailstones clattering against London’s windows. In May. Somehow it felt like climate change was trying to get my attention.

I remember that day because I was reading about rice farming in Drawdown - a book that lays bare the environmental cost of rice and its contribution to the climate crisis.

I was shocked by the scale of the problem. But by the end of that chapter I was feeling inspired by the book’s focus on the solution - sustainable rice farming. Full of optimism, I went online in search of sustainably farmed rice and…

Nothing. No UK-based brands were selling it. Worse still, none of them were even talking about sustainability.

Rice has the second highest emissions of any food after beef and we know there are simple steps to dramatically reduce its footprint. If the industry is planning to ignore the problem, then someone needs to take action.

And that was the moment I decided to start a rice brand.

 

 

Er, how do I start a rice brand?

First, I needed to understand sustainable rice farming. I spoke to leading scientists, trawled through industry reports and news articles. Eventually, when Covid allowed, I went to India to speak to the farmers themselves.

The more I learned, the more confident I became that this sustainable farming method was the future of rice. 

 

Then came the painstaking process of crafting our products. With help from some of the best food developers in the UK we set out to create the best tasting rice possible, with no compromise on convenience.

I wanted to ensure there was no excuse not to buy our rice.

It took two years and an army of amazing people, but in May 2023 Nice Rice was born. Now our journey really starts. 

Fergus x