I came across Lotus Foods in 2015; it stands out not only by its colorful rice and package but also the wholesome mission: better rice, better farmer life, and better environment for all. I grew up in Taiwan and the back of my home were rice farms. I saw farmers’ life. Thus, I vote with my wallet, buying organic and fair-trade products whenever possible.
I read about Lotus Foods’ “More Crop Per Drop” practice that utilizes System of Rice Intensification (SRI), a smart cropping methodology developed by Cornell University to increase 20-100%+ yields, up to a 90% reduction in required seed, and up to 50% water saving. I was intrigued and admired its principles and business practice so I reached out to Caryl, CEO of Lotus Foods to introduce myself and see if anything I can support.
Caryl connected me with Olivia, liaison of Cornell SRI and we had a wonderful call together. We became fast friends. I did a digital brand evaluation, provided marketing suggestions, and shared resources over the years. When I visited Ecuador, Caryl and Olivia introduced me to their local contact. Unfortunately, he was out of town so we didn’t meet.
When I visited Kenya in 2017, I met Prof. Bancy of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), an expert of land and water management for agriculture and Director at JKUAT’s Water Research and Resource Center (WRRC). I was excited and honored to meet and speak with more than 100 students and faculty members: I learned about the university, prof. Bancy and colleagues’ works in Kenya and across Africa as well as heard 2 student teams to present their graduation projects which they had spent a year to work on, one was a sewage system and the other was a wind turbine power system. I was impressed with students’ creativity and felt their enthusiasms of entrepreneurship.
Upon returning from Kenya, I headed to Fancy Food Show in NYC, and finally met Caryl, Olivia, and Ken, Caryl’s husband and co-founders of Lotus Foods, after 2 years of email and call correspondences. They gave me a warm welcome and I jumped right in, helping answer customer questions at the booth and later tasked to walk around the show to do “market research”. It was fun and new learning experience. Bonus, at the end of show, I brought home a variety of organic, fair trade, and yummy rice which I hadn’t had before.
In 2020, Lotus Foods celebrated 25 years anniversary and positive impact. Its More Crop Per Drop practice has enabled*:
- Save 4 billion gallons of fresh water – enough to give a half gallon of water to every person on the planet.
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35,000 tons of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalents) – which is like taking 7,000 cars off the road for a year.
- Source over 25 million pounds of organic rice.
- Increase income for 5000+ farm households
Thanks to Caryl, Olivia, Ken, Lotus Foods and Cornell teams, and More Crop Per Drop farmers to “Do the Rice thing” for healthier rice and live!