Tropic Rice

ite and national dish: RICE & beans. We specialize in growing high quality rice, raised and harvested by local farmers. The paddy rice is then brought to Tropic Rice where it is unloaded into a holding bin. From there it goes through a pre-cleaner, and on to the paddy husker where the rice husks are removed and discarded. The husked rice then enters the paddy separator, which removes the kernels that didn't husk from the brown rice. This rice then goes through an abrasive whitener that removes the bran from off the kernel. After which it enters the polisher where the rice is brought to its natural whiteness using clean water and gently rubbing the kernels. (When we process brown rice, we bypass the previous stages of whitening and polishing). The rice, either brown or white, goes through another sifter where it then enters the grader. The grader sorts the rice according to length, thereby removing broken kernels and leaving the complete kernels to enter the next stage, which is the color sorter. The color sorter is a highly computerized machine that uses high definition cameras to sort each individual rice kernel, removing any discolored or unwanted rice and leaving the transparent white (or brown), whole kernels. This process of individual kernel sorting is intended to replace the tedious process of hand sorting the rice before cooking. Once the rice has been declared perfect, it is sent to the packaging machine where the rice is bagged in 2, 5, 20, 50, and 100 pound bags. The rice is now ready for sale and distribution.