Against The Grain: The Endurance Of The Conrad Rice Mill

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Philip Amalus Conrad, a true entrepreneur, founded the Conrad Rice Mill and Planting Company in 1912. Following in his father's footsteps as a rice planter, Philip saw an opportunity for growth. Instead of shipping his rice to New Orleans, a risky and time-consuming process, he decided to establish a mill on his property in New Iberia. As the company flourished, the mill began sourcing grain from other rice growers to meet consumer demand.

At the age of retirement, Philip passed on his hard work to his three sons. The brothers branded the company KONRIKO as an acronym for Conrad Rice Company in the 1950s. In 1975, Mike Davis bought the mill and brought it back to life after it had been dormant for two years. Davis was a schoolteacher for St. Martin and Iberia Parishes. One of the biggest obstacles for Davis was having to learn how to produce rice. He had to analyze why the mill had been sitting dormant and needed to execute a plan to get it running again. He also had to figure out how to pack the milled rice; after packaging the rice, he went store to the store to ask them to sell the product.

When Davis took over the mill, they started by simply selling white rice, but as time moved on, he transitioned the mill to creating specialty rice. KONRIKO also expanded into selling cooking mixes and seasonings: Greek, Creole, jalapeno, etc. The brand also created a gravy thickener using rice starch instead of corn starch. KONRIKO's signature product is wild pecan rice; it was the first product Davis released about two years after purchasing the mill.

In the 1980s, Davis applied to the National Historical Register. It helped to create a tourist attraction. Now, the Conrad Rice Mill is a must-see in New Iberia, although ironically, half of the city has yet to see it. Roughly 50,000 people visit the mill annually. Davis also built a general store in 1981. It is modeled after a plantation company store. KONRIKO offers tours of the mill and a slide show presentation. In total, KONRIKO covers about 5 – 6 acres in New Iberia. The oldest building was built in 1912, and the newest building, a warehouse, was built by Davis in the late 1980s and early '90s.

Today, the Conrad Rice Mill continues to thrive, producing rice and rice-based products nationwide. This is a testament to the ingenuity and perseverance of those who have worked to keep the mill running for over a century.