Before opening our retail store in Brewster, there were many, many small issues over which we needed to decide. One small issue was whether or not to offer white rice for sale in the store.
Organic rice is now available in many varieties - short grain, long grain, basmati, jasmine, sweet & more. We offer all the aforementioned in brown, but we don't offer them as white rice.
What is white rice? It is brown rice that has had the most nutritious parts of the grain removed - i.e. the bran and the germ.
So, we boiled and steamed about it and decided not to offer white rice in our store. Not because it might not sell, but because we want to offer the best & healthiest choices for our customers.
Now that our store has been open for about two months we've had time to gauge customer response to our lack of white rice. Whilst asking customers if there are items they seek that we do not carry, not one has mentioned white rice (nor white pasta for that matter). And I've only had one customer directly ask for white rice. I said no and told her why not and got an undiscernible response. Oh well, an unhappy customer, I thought. But, then I see her at the checkout with her basket full of items - including brown jasmine rice.
What Makes a Difference? People who believe that businesses can be based on ethical & health principles ahead of economic-based decisions AND people who are looking to make the healthier choices. It's can be as simple as brown & white.
