America’s Oldest Operating Rice Mill

The Conrad Rice Mill in New Iberia, Louisiana is the oldest operating rice mill in America.

We didn’t know what to expect so we arrived in plenty of time for the first tour of the day at 9:00 a.m.  Tours are given 5 times a day and there is a small fee.

When we first walked into the gift shop a very energetic woman called out to have some coffee and that the day's rice sample would be ready soon.

The gift shop.

We quickly figured out this was a very small operation.

They take gumbo seriously around here.

Kesla was the enthusiastic woman who greeted us, and she would be our guide for the tour.  We were the only ones on the tour. 

As we started the tour we walked back outside past the parking lot and to the rice mill.

Although this is an operating mill, they weren’t processing rice today.  Apparently, they only process rice on an “as needed” bases.

In 1981, the Mill was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

P.A. Conrad founded the Conrad Rice Mill and Planting Company in 1912. He would cut the rice by hand and let it sun-dry on the levees before putting the rice in the threshers. The rice was poured into 100-pound bags and taken to the mill. At that time, the mill operated only three to four months out of the year. Conrad would sell his rice from inventory, waiting for the next crop to harvest.

Today grain is bought from growers in the area.  The trucks drive onto the scales and drop their load through this hole into the basement of the mill.

The mill is very dark inside.

Kesla went over all the steps in milling rice.  She explained how the elevators moved the grain between the three floors and how the augers moved the grain from side to side to the elevators.

Whole rice out of the field.

First you take off the husk.  Sometimes this takes 2 or 3 times through the machine.

Husk.

The pearler removes the bran.

The rice is graded.  Broken rice is sold to breweries.

The finished rice is sent to the packing machine.

The elevator is for moving grain up and down and the auger moves grain sideways.

Her hand is on the outside of the elevator.

This is the conveyor belt with attached buckets that are inside the elevators.  This belt was laying on the floor to be repaired.

The green packing machines automatically form the rice bag, fill it and seal it.

The gray packing machine with the sewing machine attached is semi-automatic.  It drops the rice into a kraft paper bag, trims the top of the bag, and sews it closed.

These machines can pack from 7 oz to 25 lbs. of rice.

In the 1950’s, “KONRIKO” was trademarked as an acronym for “CONRAD RICE COMPANY.”

A few years later, P.A. Conrad retired and left the business to his three sons.  After many years of operating the mill, the brothers were at retirement age and eventually only three New Iberia grocery stores remained as customers.

In 1975 Mike Davis bought the mill from the Conrad brothers. Within 10 days of the purchase, the mill was back up and running after laying dormant for two years.

The original part of the mill was built in 1912 and received additions in 1917 and 1930.

After our tour we headed back to the gift shop.  Today’s rice sample, wild pecan rice, was ready for testing!

Lots of different spices can be sprinkled on the cooked rice.

Kesla explained to us that the mill’s claim to fame is that they only produce brown rice and that it cooks in 25 minutes instead of 40 minutes like other companies.

It is very good!

Wild Pecan Rice is neither a wild rice nor does it contain pecans.  The name is intended to conjure up images of the wild pecan trees flourishing in the fertile rice growing areas of southern Louisiana.

We made a few purchases.

The wild pecan rice is very aromatic and has a rich, nutty flavor.  The yellow rice is their regular brown rice with saffron and turmeric.

I wish we had been able to see the mill in production.  It would have certainly been magnet worthy! 

I did buy a magnet - they were pretty.

Next time:  More Louisiana attractions