Issue 58

Horizon talks with Kanida Sanee, managing director of Richy Rice, about how she has developed rice crackers to export to international markets.

What was the inspiration for your rice crackers?
About seven to eight years ago my home province, Phatthalung, faced the problem of having an excessive stock of Sangyod rice, so I tried to help solve this problem. At fairs our customers told us they wanted their children to eat Sangyod brown rice, but most of them rejected it. That challenged us to think about making processed Sangyod rice to serve that need. So we came up with rice crackers.

Could you tell us more about Sangyod rice?
Sangyod rice is the traditional rice from Phatthalung province in southern Thailand. It has been grown throughout the province for more than a hundred years and now it has GI status. Sangyod is an aromatic rice, which is delicious and good for the health because it is high in fibre. Our products are made from organic Sangyod rice.

When did you develop Richy Rice?
In 2013, my company worked with the Prince of Songkla University to research and develop new products, and we started marketing the crispy Sangyod rice cracker in late 2014. THAIFEX is one showcase where we collected feedback from consumers for our further product development.

What different flavours do you have?
Currently, we produce several processed Sangyod rice products, including crispy Sangyod rice cracker with teriyaki sauce, crispy Sangyod rice cracker with chocolate almond, Sangyod rice cracker with roasted chilli paste, and Sangyod rice soft crunch chocolate. Our rice cracker is different from other brands because it is made from Sangyod rice, which can be only grown in Phatthalung province.

Who are your key customers?
From the beginning, I have focused on exporting products to other countries. Now, about 90% of total sales comes from international markets and the rest is domestic. The biggest markets are Singapore, China and the Netherlands while we have seen higher demand in Vietnam and Malaysia.

What is your best-selling product?
The best seller is crispy cracker with chocolate almond. However, consumers in each market also prefer different flavours, for example, the Chinese and Singaporeans love crispy cracker with teriyaki sauce while the Europeans love Thai flavours, such as cracker with roasted chili paste.

What are your future plans?
Richy Rice will launch crackers with other flavours such as wasabi. We plan to explore new markets including South Korea and Japan as well as being an OEM for other brands.

For more information, follow FB:richyriceproducts and IG:richyrice