“Fine Rice Award”—Captivating high-end restaurants and everyday consumers
Through “Fine Rice Award”, the Agriculture and Food Agency (AFA) aims to encourage rice producers to enhance their production management and brand marketing. Highlighting packaged rice products that are superior in quality, taste, and assurance gives consumers the knowledge and access to those quality and tasty rice. To ensure a level playing field, “Fine Rice Award” buys rice samples anonymously, replaces their packages, and attaches them with random codes. Grades will be given to each coded sample, and judges will not know any sample’s identity and its producer until all grades are revealed.
Rigid contest formats have made a name for “Fine Rice Award” in the industry. Not only winners gained brand image and fame, a leading convenient store chain even created Kaiseki rice balls with the winning rice. Food businesses such as five-star hotels and restaurant chains took advantage of those quality rice to create rice menus. The high-end grill restaurant Vanne YORONIKUR experimented 20 rice products until they found Taiwan Koshihikari Rice by Fang Rong Rice (the last year’s winner) and decided to use that in all of its menus. Past winners of Fine Rice Award saw an annual sales gain of at least 25%, showing that the public do recognize the award’s value. Because of this year’s pandemic outbreak, many previously-awarded products have run out of supplies due to consumers rushing to buy them to cook at home, and some even engaged in group-buying for better deals.
The biggest event in the industry—Winners of Oscars in packaged rice revealed:
Chishang Farmers’ Association, Taitung County wins Taiwan Rice Division with Authentic Chishang Rice, and Duo Li Rice of Chishang wins Organic Rice Division with Earth Aromatic Organic Rice (1.5KG)
In this year’s “Fine Rice Award”, the title of Taiwan Rice Division goes to Authentic Chishang Rice (2.5Kg) by Chishang Farmers’ Association, Taitung County. The cultivar used is Taiken 2 (cultured in the soil of Coastal Mountain Range with pollution-free water, the rice is graded and treated with automated milling equipment, resulting in countrywide famous Chishang Rice); the runner-up is Daciao CAS Koshihikari (1.5Kg) by Top Rice Taiwan, and the third place goes to Competition-Grade Chishang Traceable Rice by Fusheng Agricultural Economy and Technology (2Kg). With regards to Organic Rice Division, Earth Organic Aromatic Rice (1.5KG) by Duo Li Rice of Chishang claims the throne, with its cultivar being Kaohsiung 147 (originating from Chishang, its cultivation benefits from the clear water and fresh air of the region, and every pack of rice is disclosed of its properties like freshness and palatability). In the 2nd and 3rd spot, we have Chishang Rice Organic Rice (1.5Kg) by Chishang Farmers’ Association, Taitung County and Yuanpin Organic Rice (2Kg) by Mr. Chen Chia-Cheng, respectively.
The delightful taste of Taiwanese rice ought to be shared with friends and family. Look up for the retailers of winning rice of Fine Rice Award on the AFA website （http://www.afa.gov.tw/）! Act now to get your hands on tasteful Taiwanese rice of the highest quality! Can’t live without rice? Visit the retailers listed on the AFA website and experience top rice of the year.
