In Episode 22, I speak to Kisum Chan, the Co–Founder of Rice Inc. Kisum and his co founders developed Rice Inc to empower smallholder rice farmers in Asia, when they found that 70% of farmers still live in poverty and that most farmers are only paid 5% of the retail price of rice. Rice Inc solves this by providing equipment that helps to reduce waste during harvesting and offering farmers a fairer pay for their rice. Kisum and his team won the prestigious Hult Prize in 2018 for their unique vision!

We talk about Kisum’s challenges as a biomed student entering business competitions, why there is so little fairtrade rice and also the benefits of working with a therapist!

Also, if you’re in London and you love your grains, I’m partnering with Rice Inc to offer the first 20 listeners a 10% discount off Padi Rice! Use my discount code: CLAUDIA10

Here is a summary of our conversation:

🥇Journey to winning the world’s largest social impact competition (The Hult Prize )

🤝Empowering smallholder rice farmers to escape poverty so they can waste less and grow better rice

💭Does ‘fair trade’ rice exist?

📲Discovering the best way to connect with Asian farmers

 📚Leveraging your available resources to hone your business idea

Follow @thericeinc or head to their website: https://eatpaddi.com/

Individuals and businesses that Kisum thinks is Up to Some Good

– David Yeung: @greenmonday.david 

– Aspire Food Group: https://aspirefg.com/

*Timestamps:

2:40: Journey to winning the world’s largest social impact competition (The Hult Prize )

6:38 How changing your mindset about a challenge is the first step towards contributing good to the world

8:11 Empowering smallholder rice farmers to escape poverty so they can waste less and grow better rice

10:17 How does Rice Inc help farmers reduce wastage during rice farming?

14:16 The financial situation of farmers in Asian regions

17:25  How to identify the right farming communities to work with & conducting on the ground research

24:00 What does a conventional agricultural commodity supply chain look like?

25:48 Does ‘fair trade’ rice exist?

34:22 How does Padi Rice achieve carbon neutrality?

37:10 Exciting trends in the agritech industry

40:05 Discovering the best way to connect with Asian farmers

45:58: Leveraging your available resources to hone your business idea

51:20 Why working with a therapist will always pay dividends in your career and personal life