The wait is almost over.

Honestly Texas Rice has been in the fields, in the mill…and is now headed to shelves at your local H-E-B supermarket.

Honestly Texas Rice is not a cooperative of growers, according to its website; it is a brand operated by Texas Rice Milling, which is a family-operated business. It is part of Brookshire Drying, which has been around since the 1940’s, according to a company spokesperson. The brand emphasizes transparency and sustainability in its farming practices, ensuring that the rice is grown, dried, milled and packaged in Texas.

Three local rice farmers from the Katy area are a part of Honestly Texas Rice: Des Woods, David Welch and Clayton Peterson. According to Christie Naiser, business development manager for Honestly Texas Rice, Woods’ rice is already on sale inside H-E-B but this new effort by the brand will put the other farmers’ products on store shelves as well.

That journey began over five years ago when Pam West, CEO and founder of Honestly Texas Rice, envisioned the move as a way to help the local farmers. “It’s just because we want to be able to give back to the farmers and take the middleman out, so that the farmer can try to get as much profit as they can,” Naiser said in a statement to the Katy Times. In 2024, West tasked Naiser with getting information on H-E-B’s “Quest for the Best” contest, an annual competition aimed at finding the best Texas-made products. Participants can submit their products for a chance to win up to $100,000.00 in cash and gain exposure in H-E-B stores.

The Honestly Texas Rice team completed the application, including a small video, and made it to the top ten statewide finalists in “Quest for the Best.” They then did another video presentation and West also spoke with company officials. “’Quest for the Best’ is really what got our foot in the door and helped us get in touch with the correct people,” Naiser said.

The move to get the product on H-E-B shelves created some excitement in the industry. “We’re thrilled to share that Honestly Texas, a proudly Texas-grown and packaged rice brand from one of our very own TGFA members, is fixing to hit the shelves at H-E-B,” said the Texas Grain & Feed Association in an August post on LinkedIn. “This is more than just a win for local agriculture, it’s a celebration of hard work, homegrown quality, and the power of Texas producers. From field to fork, Honestly Texas rice represents the heart of our industry and the pride of our state.”

H-E-B picked up its first load of rice in early October, Naiser said, and is in the process of rolling sales out in selected locations. Naiser said that it will be in sale in the Brenham store by October 20.

On its website (heb.com/product-detail/honestly-texas-long-grain-texas-grown-brown-rice/15813527) H-E-B has announced the debut of the product, along with a photo of the long grain brown rice product:

“Welcome to the Honestly Texas Family. Enjoy the taste of our Texas grown brown long grain rice, where every bite comes alive with deliciousness. Honestly Texas isn't just a brand - it's a mission to honor the heart and soul of the Texas farmers who feed our families and steward our rice lands. Honestly Texas farmers are the backbone of Texas agriculture and embody the values, resilience, and traditions that define the spirit of the Lone Star State. Our purpose runs deep as we honor the heritage of generational farming legacies. We're fostering a bond of respect and gratitude between the hands that grow our food and the families who enjoy it...From our farmers to Your family with a commitment to Honesty!”

But Naiser has more plans to create visibility for the brand – including an ambitious goal of letting the customer know exactly where their particular package of rice was grown. The rice consumer will eventually be able to scan the QR code on the package of rice that they have just purchased, which will take them to the Honestly Texas website where they can input the lot number from the package. Naiser plans to link that lot number to the specific farm and farmer who grew that particular crop of rice, and to provide his history and perhaps even some family recipes for rice.

“A lot of people do not realize just how much goes into rice farming in general, so hopefully this will give an awareness to everything we do,” Naiser said.