Out of 30 rice varieties around the world, Philippine-based Renucci Rice has been recognized as the third best at the World Rice Conference on Nov. 12 at the Makati Shangri-La. Renucci Rice is the first Filipino company to win at the World Best Rice Contest, ranking just behind Thailand and Vietnam.

Co-owner Rachel Renucci-Tan cites that while everyone in the competition prepared for two years, Dalisay by Renucci Rice was submitted as a last-minute entry to the competition. Most notable too is the fact that this is the first time a Philippine company has won at an international rice competition.

“To make our victory even sweeter, the Philippines was only ever mentioned throughout the conference as one of the largest importers of rice from the top rice producing countries: Thailand, Vietnam, India, China, Japan, the US,” reads Renucci-Tan’s Facebook post. “For the Philippines to win as a top rice producer makes us feel deeply proud. We are world-class. We have not lost the throne entirely in rice production.”

The rice is judged according to five criteria (both before and after cooking): appearance, texture, moisture, aroma, and length of grain. Each submission is evaluated by a group of international chefs.