Lotus Foods facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Genre | Natural foods; Heirloom rice; SRI Rice |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Founder | Ken Lee; Caryl Levine |
| Headquarters | , |
Lotus Foods is a company based in Richmond, California. It brings special, handcrafted rice from small family farms to the United States. Caryl Levine and Kenneth Lee started the company in 1995. Their first and most famous product is a unique black rice called Forbidden Rice.
Contents
The Story of Lotus Foods
How Lotus Foods Began
Lotus Foods was started in 1995 by Caryl Levine and Kenneth Lee. A few years before, in 1993, they went on a trip to China. There, they tried a bowl of black rice. They had never seen or tasted black rice before! This experience inspired them to create Lotus Foods.
Delicious Rice Products
Types of Rice from Lotus Foods
Lotus Foods offers many different kinds of rice. They have popular types like traditional basmati rice and jasmine rice. They also sell their famous Black Forbidden Rice, which is a type of black rice.
Other unique rice products include:
- Jade Pearl Rice: This is a short-grain rice that has a special bamboo extract added to it.
- Bhutanese red rice: A beautiful red rice from Bhutan.
- Madagascar pink rice: A naturally pink rice from Madagascar.
- Volcano Rice: Another special blend of rice.
Beyond Rice Grains
In 2018, Lotus Foods also started making Rice Ramen soup cups. These are instant noodles made from their own rice noodles. They offer a quick and easy meal option.
Awards and Special Recognition
Honors for Products and Farming Methods
Lotus Foods has won many awards. They are recognized for their tasty products and for helping with something called SRI rice. SRI is a way of growing rice that uses less water and helps farmers grow more.
In 2008, the company was invited to speak at the Clinton Global Initiative. This was a big event where they talked about how to make sure everyone has enough food. They spoke alongside important people like Madeleine Albright.
In 2009, Lotus Foods won an award for their work with SRI rice. They received the Environment and Sustainability Award from Nutrition Business Journal. This award recognized their efforts with Cornell University to promote SRI farming around the world.
Sofi Awards for Great Taste
Lotus Foods also won many Sofi Awards. These awards celebrate the best specialty foods. In 1998, their Forbidden Rice was a finalist for the Outstanding New Product award. Since then, the company has won nine Sofi Awards for its delicious products.
