Outlining a picture of Taiwan rice
Several years ago there was a public outcry when it was revealed that a big rice company was selling Taiwanese rice with cheap Vietnamese rice mixed in. Whether they do it to reduce production costs or to compensate for a shortage in production volume, “mixed rice” has already become an open secret in the industry. But some prefer to steer in the opposite direction, clearly indicating the production area and cooperating farmers on their product labels, and even advertising their product as a “single variety.”
We arrive in Xihu Township in Miaoli County in glorious autumn weather, and the rice planted out in the preceding month is growing tall and green. “What I want to do is very simple: I want to let everybody know what variety of rice they are eating,” says “Mao Rice” founder Lin Mao-sheng resolutely, standing in the midst of a verdant checkerboard of paddy fields.
The reason why Lin chose rice as the basis for a new business venture can be traced back several years, to a point in his life when he was ready to make a career change and friends and family introduced him to the household of farmer Wu Liangkuan. Wu, who had left his job in the county government to return home to take up farming, is a perfectionist who insists on handling everything himself, from culturing seedlings and transplanting them to harvesting, drying, milling, and packaging his rice. Despite having only about eight hectares of farmland, he even invested a great deal of money to build a processing plant. Although he devotes himself completely to growing a good product, he used to keep a very low profile, only selling his rice through the local post office and to family and friends. Having discovered this high-quality rice that was “unavailable to the world,” Lin Mao-sheng decided to put his personal reputation on the line, and founded a brand with the aim of letting more people know about fine products like this.
Mao Rice’s offering is simple: there are three product lines, each based on a single variety of rice. Taking into account the fact that most consumers don’t have a deep understanding of rice varieties, Lin stresses the different varieties’ suitability for different uses. “Tainung 77” rice, which is plump, glossy and firm to the bite, is on a par with high-end Japanese rice, and can be used instead of Japanese Koshihikari rice. The “Tainung 71” variety has a high water content and gelatinizes well, making it suitable for dishes where a softer texture is required; Lin markets this as “congee rice.” As for “Tainung Sen 22,” this variety has a high amylose content, its grains do not stick together when cooked, and it has a firm bite. It is well suited for preparing fried rice or mixed vegetables and rice, and Lin dubs it “frying rice.”
In terms of the development of dietary culture, what Lin Mao-sheng is doing is not simply commercial trade, but also education about food and farming. In an age of processed foods, he is taking a first step to building a wider public understanding of “single variety” rice. Only if one is able to distinguish among different tastes can one recognize and appreciate them.
Lin puts it this way: “When consumers learn the positives and negatives of different crop varieties and develop an autonomous viewpoint, they will know what they prefer and who to buy it from, and how to select produce; this is a virtuous circle. Once people have control over their food, industry will become more dynamic—this is at the root of everything.”
Lin Mao-sheng (right) and Wu Liangkuan (left) have joined hands to produce premium products for consumers who are particular about their rice. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)