‘Bespoke’ is the word Peter Randall used to describe his family company, Randall Organic Rice, which has been making a name for itself in the culinary world after winning the ‘From the Earth’ category at the National Delicious Awards.
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The Murrami farming company picked up their third state win for their Jasmine rice earlier this week.
Peter and Jenny Randall took some time from their busy day to chat about their award-winning produce.
“It’s always great to get recognition for what you do,” Mr Randall said.
Randall Organic Rice is only one of few organic rice growers in the Riverina, and has been venturing into other areas such as rice cakes and rice flour.
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Top chefs and food celebrities such as Maggie Beer and Monty Koludrovic have had a taste of the Riverina-grown organic rice.
“We caught up with Maggie Beer this year – she loves our rice.
“She’d been using our rice for years, and wanted to know more about it.
It’s always great to get recognition for what you do.
- Peter Randall
The company “started from absolute zero” but now its produce can be spied in food magazines and at top restaurants such as Icebergs at Bondi Beach.
Mr Randall said rice is “one of the toughest things to grow”.
When asked what his overall goal for Randall Organic Rice is, Mr Randall laughed:
“To survive.
“As a farmer, if we weren’t doing this, we’d be gone.
“There aren’t many small farms left because of cost.”
Mr Randall said, due to the drought, some of the rice may become ‘sun-cracked’.
While ‘sun-cracked’ rice may still go to the consumer, the company ensures each packet comes with a personal note to explain the best ways to cook the rice.
Some customers, however, are happy to “work with the seasons”.
Jenny Randall explained how she sent chef Monty Koludrovic a note on the rice.
“I wrote him a note saying, ‘It’s going to be a bit different; it’s going to be cracked and you might need to adjust the way you cook it’, and he was so excited to get a personal note to tell him that,” Mrs Randall said.
“That’s what it’s all about – the connection to the grower,” Mr Randall said.
The Delicious Awards recognises the efforts of growers and aims to find the very best producers in Australia.
