Cookshop Market Spotlight: Fabrar Liberia
Meet the family-owned business that's unlocking the global market for Liberian rice farmers.
Continuing the legacy of her father Julius Cooper, who improved production of Liberian Red "Country" Rice by establishing rice farms and cooperatives in the 60s and 70s, Jeanine Cooper and her son Fabio Lavelanet created Fabrar Liberia in 2009.
Their goal: to empower smallholder farmers to harness the market potential of Liberia's local rice which they argue is the world's healthiest whole grain. In fact, Liberian red rice is proven to have the lowest percentage of carbohydrates per 100g, the lowest glycemic index, and the highest fiber, protein and antioxidant content of any rice in the world!
Even given Liberia's historical relationship with its staple food, the road to revitalizing this sector has not been easy for Fabrar. With VC backing they began building a state-of-the art rice milling facility in 2013, but their plans were stalled until 2015 due to the EVD crisis. Yet, through perseverance, their dream of bringing Liberia's rice to the world is finally coming to fruition. Having amassed a consortium of farmers to produce 1,000 acres of rice this year, Fabrar is now Liberia’s largest rice producer and has begun exporting Liberian Red Rice to the USA.
Manufacturers like Fabrar Liberia are why we created Cookshop Market. We serve your usual grocery shopping and delivery needs with a focus on products from local vendors like Fabrar who are daring to transform entire sectors of our economy.
