Our Story
Our Basmati is carefully selected in the Himalayan foothills which is the only place on earth where Basmati can be grown. Here plentiful rivers nourish the soil and Basmati flourishes in a sun-kissed microclimate of warm autumn days that give way to cool misty nights as harvest time approaches.
Basmati is known as “the Prince of rice” and means “the fragrant one” due to its fragrant aroma. Its exceptional character lies in its unique aroma that has been likened to ‘sun-baked wood and flowers.’ The long slender grains have a delicious taste and delicate texture. Like fine wine, Basmati flavor matures with age.
From June to November the farmers cultivate their Basmati crop. The work starts with the seed preparation and sowing. After a few weeks the Basmati saplings are transplanted by hand from the nursery slopes to the main paddy field. Basmati flowers one month before it are harvested, reminding us why it is famed for its fragrance. To this day Basmati is harvested by hand and threshed to ensure that none of the precious grains are lost. After all Basmati commands a premium on the international market of two or three times the price of ordinary long grain rice.
After harvesting, the paddy crop is then taken to the local agricultural market called the “mandi” to be sold at auction to the highest bidder. The rice from the field must be dried to prepare it for milling to remove the hulls and the outer bran layers. Any broken or discoloured grains are removed by us to guarantee only the finest milled rice reaches you. Broken grains cause stickiness so their removal ensures fluffy and separate rice gains – giving perfect results when our Basmati is cooked.
For wholegrain rice, only the hulls are removed, the bran layers are left intact. Rice bran contains dietary fibre and vitamins which are beneficial to our diets. Wholegrain rice has a nutty flavour and is increasingly growing in popularity.
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