A new rice bran oil press...

The cooperative mill finally got the rice bran press it was waiting for. By pressing the bran that is polished off our finished product - white rice - we can make a high-quality oil to be used for cooking or as a dietary supplement. While for many health-conscious consumers, leaving the brain on the rice grain - brown rice - is prefered, our largest markets, both domestically and abroad, demand for white rice. Further, there is a growing market for rice bran oil, and this is especially true for organic oils.

Many Japanese restaurants use rice bran oil for frying tempura-style. It also contains natural antioxidants that help lower cholesterol and are beneficial in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Below, the dry, powdery bran enters the top of the press and is slowly mixed and pressed, then it dips down to be filtered.

Rice Fund usually distributes the rice bran to our members for use in making compost or animal feed, but we're hoping that this investment pays off and we can reinvest some of our earnings into SFS projects. Producing rice bran oil allows the cooperative to diversify products and earn more short-term income. We haven't developed a finished product yet, but as our small "lab" below shows, the mill is testing the right filter techniques and bottling-methods. Also below, the bags of dry bran "cakes" that are left over, are still good to use for making animal feed.
We're hoping to have some "Rice Fund Cooperative Organic Rice Bran Oil" ready for sale next month.