Established in 1990 as a subsidiary of the East Caribbean Group of Companies (ECGC), Caricom Rice Mills Limited (CRML) is Guyana’s fifth largest rice producing entity. Located on the coastal plain in the budding town of Anna Regina, CRML provides employment for more than 100 residents of this predominantly rice-producing region.
In its infancy, CRML produced two main products for the local and export markets: cargo rice and milled (white) rice. However, fuelled by changing dietary preferences, the Company has over the years evolved to become one of the premier producers of parboiled rice in Guyana and the Caribbean, even venturing to penetrate European markets.
Having recognized that customer satisfaction is critical to success, the Company established a Quality Management System, which has been certified by the Trinidad & Tobago Bureau of Standards as compliant with ISO 9001:2008, for the production of its core products.
A revitalized Quality Assurance Unit ensures that raw material (paddy) is graded in accordance with relevant local and regional standards, while finished products are analyzed in keeping with applicable standards and customer specifications. Customer satisfaction surveys, conducted twice per year, are aimed at continual improvement of the products and services provided.
The Company has forged, and maintains meaningful relationships with some of the regions most renowned suppliers of paddy, which ensures constant supply of the resource that is vital for production of the Company’s high quality products.
In keeping with global efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, the Company has adopted a low carbon approach to production, investing in machinery and equipment that are energy efficient and low carbon emitters. In addition, approximately 85% of paddy hulls produced during the milling process are incinerated to produce energy for the parboiling and paddy drying processes. CRML maintains a truly symbiotic relationship with the community in which it operates as is evident in the Company’s marked contributions in areas of health, education, culture and sports.