Local entrepreneur, Kailey Divers, former owner of the Flower Forest shared the story of her new business “Canadian Pure Wild Rice” with Dryden Rotarians. She established the firm in 2008.
 
The Wabigoon Chain of Lakes
All of Diver’s rice is harvested on the Wabigoon chain of lakes.
 
The rice is actually a type of grass, which grows naturally in the fresh water lakes of central North America.
 
The Ojibway people have always proclaimed the virtue of wild rice as being rich in flavour and high in nutrition. It is also a rich natural source of Vitamin B, iron manganese, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, phosphorous and carbohydrate.
 
Kailey sends the rice to Lac du Bonnet in Manitoba where it is processed taking out the water and heated to the point where it would shrink to about 50% of its weight. The company puts it into 50 lb. bags and Kailey puts it into the 1 lb. cones (as in the picture to the right) for retail distribution.
 
Both Kokom’s and Kano Reid are using her wild rice. It can also be found in a number of stores throughout the district.
 
Next week, Kailey will be taking about 1000 lbs. to the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto and selling her product there over the 10 days of the event.
 
Divers also has a cookbook which lists many recipes using wild rice. For recipes and where you can buy rice, go to http://www.canadianpurewildrice.ca/
 
To order the Cook Book
Canadian Pure Wild Rice
P.O. Box 193
Wabigoon, Ontario, Canada
P0V-2W0
Phone: 1-807-221-9488