Rice of Life

Langit Collective's founders fell in love with Sarawakian heirloom rice and set out to empower the hands behind the produce

- Katelyn Tan

Rice was not always on the cards for Melisa Lim, Lilian Chen, and Chan Zi Xiang. In fact, the three founders of Langit Collective were colleagues at a non-profit, building water systems for the community in Long Semadoh, Sarawak, when they were astounded by the heirloom rice the village grew.

"We realised our knowledge of rice was limited to white, brown, and imported rice, since we came from urban areas," Lim recalls. "When we discovered the wide variety of rice in Long Semadoh, we were blown away as we never knew rice could taste so good." Much of this can be attributed to the origin of the rice. "The community has been using the same seeds since their ancestors began farming, which is at least three generations old," she explains.

The word heirloom refers to an indigenous crop that has been passed down through families or groups.

"Rice in Long Semadoh is grown once a year, which means the seeds are selected and replanted every 12 months-in a way, it goes through natural selection to be the best of every season." Long Semadoh's pristine location in the heart of nature also contributes to the high quality grains. "The area is surrounded by mountains and clean, spring water," Lim explains. "Rice is planted and harvested by hand, and buffalos are still used to fertilise the fields." These conditions combined-the seeds, the natural surroundings, and the care from farmers-all translate into the final outcome.