Delta Blues Rice

The Arant family has farmed the Mississippi Delta for over 90 years. Hugh Arant Jr., David Arant Sr., and David Arant Jr. grow rice, corn, and soybeans on land the family has worked since the 1920s near Ruleville. For decades, 95 percent of their rice harvest was sold in bulk — trucked off to be milled elsewhere and packaged under big commodity brands. The Arants grew some of the best rice in the Delta and got none of the credit.

In 2012, David Arant Jr. left a career as a civil engineer and came home to the farm. He saw an opportunity in the five percent they held back. By 2013, Delta Blues Rice was born: artisan-milled and packaged right on the family property. True farm-to-table rice, handled from planting to bagging by the same people who grew it. No middlemen, no anonymous processing facility, no blending with rice from other farms.

The operation is small by design. The Arants mill their rice in limited batches, which means fresher product with better flavor and texture than what you'll find from the major brands. Their lineup includes long-grain white, brown, jasmine, and rice grits — staples with a noticeable difference in quality once you cook them side by side with commodity rice. The grains are non-GMO and grown in the rich alluvial soil of the Mississippi Delta, which gives them a character that reflects the land.

Delta Blues Rice shows up in restaurants across the South, at specialty grocery stores, and through their online shop. The packaging — labeled with the farm's GPS coordinates and the family name — signals what this brand is about. Traceability. Accountability. A family that decided the best rice they grew shouldn't leave the farm wearing someone else's label.

For a crop as commodified as rice, that kind of direct connection between grower and consumer is unusual. And it matters. You know exactly who grew it, where it came from, and how it was milled.

Products

• Long-grain white rice
• Long-grain brown rice
• Jasmine rice
• Rice grits (stone-ground)
• Gift sets and sampler packs

Why We List Them

• Fourth-generation Arant family farm operating since the 1920s
• Artisan-milled and packaged on-site at the Ruleville, Mississippi farm
• David Arant Jr. returned from engineering career to launch the brand in 2013
• Complete farm-to-table control — no co-packers or middlemen
• Non-GMO rice grown in Mississippi Delta alluvial soil
• Mississippi Secretary of State registered family business