Have you ever wondered what it takes to work on a rice farm? We interviewed a few 4Sisters Rice employees to pull back the curtain and give you a little insider's view of what a day in the life of these workers looks like!
Meet Matt Fowler - Operations Manager at 4Sisters Rice, husband, father to 4 girls, and has been with Kennedy Rice for 8 years.
1. Can you share your journey and how you became the Operations Manager at 4Sisters?
My rice journey began a little over 8 years ago as a shipping technician. I was interested in doing more than loading trucks and cleaning up, so I spoke to Marley Oldham, our current Chief Operating Officer after 6 months of employment and explained that I wanted to pursue learning more about the rice industry. From that point, Marley became my mentor. Our conversation aligned with the start of 4Sisters launching a few retail offerings and the Kennedy’s invested in packaging equipment. Marley promoted me to Packaging Operator and I learned to operate the two packaging lines we had.
Once again, I expressed my interest in learning and taking on more responsibility so I was promoted to Shipping Manager where I learned more about the logistics side of our business. I worked in this role for roughly two years before being promoted to Quality and Food Safety Director, which required me to think about rice differently.
I can best explain this role by saying, “The rice we mill, ship, and package every day is eaten by my wife and children, so I carry that with me every day.” As Quality and Food Safety Director, I gained one of the most important perspectives in the rice milling and packaging industry. It required me to look at each step in the process with a magnifying glass to identify potential risks and mitigate them in the most efficient and effective ways.
In January of 2023, Marley approached me with an opportunity I was incredibly humbled to receive, Operations Manager of Kennedy Rice Mill and 4Sisters Rice where I oversee the company's operational activities, optimize day-to-day activities, and streamline workflows to enhance the profitability of 4Sisters.
2. Could you shed some light on the rice milling process and how 4Sisters ensures the highest quality for its products?
An exceptional number of practices are implemented to make sure the rice we produce and package is of the highest quality. When a truck arrives with paddy rice, it’s weighed and samples are taken to assess the overall quality and safety. Once the truckload has been approved, it’s dumped into 1 of 4 million lb tanks for staging before milling. The rice is then conveyed in the mill and goes through 6 separate magnets throughout the process to eliminate all ferrous metals from the rice. Destoners are then used to remove any stones left from the field. During the entire milling process, samples are taken to reassess the quality and safety of the rice. Once the milling process is complete, we convey the rice to our shipping building and store it in 1 of 14 tanks that hold over 7 million lbs of rice. From the shipping building the rice goes through multiple metal detectors and is reassessed for quality and safety, before going in a truck, railcar, or 4Sisters package.
3. What is your favorite 4Sisters rice variety and your go-to rice recipe?
Jasmine is my favorite variety and my favorite recipe is a tie between Gumbo and Red Beans and Rice.
4. What is the most fulfilling part of working at 4 Sisters?
The people. I’ve attended several speeches that our CEO has given and one of my favorite quotes from her is, “Take a little grain and make a big difference in the world.” The photo below captures the essence of what we do at Kennedy Rice Mill and 4Sisters Rice. We have an outreach program offering our new employees guidance at work, home, and for their souls. We mill and package the highest quality and best-tasting rice, while elevating the potential of our employee's lives. I am honored to work alongside men and women truly carrying the goal Meryl set out to achieve!
Meet Jason Bankston - 4Sisters Director of Warehouse & Logistics, husband and father of 2, has been with Kennedy Rice for 11 years.
1. How did you become the Director of Warehousing and Logistics at 4Sisters and what does your role involve?
I began my career with Kennedy Rice Mill in August of 2012 as a Mill Operator. 2 months later, I was moved into Logistics and By-Product Sales. I held this position for ten years. During this time, I worked alongside the Mill Manager to coordinate all shipments of finished products via railroad and over-the-road trucking as well as by-products to maintain the mill’s efficiency. My involvement in the daily planning of mill production allowed me to move into operational management duties that eventually transitioned into the role of Assistant Mill Manager.
Once the Kennedy family decided to pursue the packaging business, I began working directly with upper management and sales to assist in daily communications with onboarding along with scouting potential new customers to grow the 4 Sisters’ brand. Managing the production and planning of the packaging business allowed me to gain an in-depth knowledge of this business from the day-to-day mechanical processes to each customer’s specific needs.
As the packaging business continued to grow, the need for expansion grew and we decided to purchase warehousing to provide the best rice in customer order fulfillment allowing me to transition into the Warehousing and Logistics Director. My role involves working with all parties involved in the production, packaging, and transportation teams of 4 Sisters Rice to provide the best rice in quality and customer satisfaction. This includes daily visual inspection of each load prepared and communication with warehouse personnel for timely shipping and loading. I’m responsible for our warehouse team maintaining a daily inventory reported to our packaging production team to manage appropriate inventory levels per customer orders. My goal each day is to provide full attention to all our customer needs and support each one of our team members to get the job done with safety, quality, and efficiency.
2. Can you walk us through the journey of rice from the farm to the warehouse, and eventually to the customers?
At 4Sisters Rice, the work starts before the farmers even plant our rice. Our team spends countless hours of research on the type of rice that would provide the best quality and taste for our customers. Once we select these varieties, the farmers begin planting our fields. When harvest starts, the farmers bring the rice to our drying facilities before storing and milling. The rice used for packaging is stored in lots of the selected variety to make sure that our packaged rice will perform the same in our mill as well as when it’s time to cook. We then move the rice by truck to the mill where we use a closed conveying system that serves in multiple capacities to help prevent foreign materials and minimize dust. Once the rice is cleaned, milled, and sorted for quality it goes to our clean rice building and is stored where it’s ready for bulk shipment or packaging. The packaging building has a tank farm that will receive transferred rice to be stored until it’s time to package. These tanks directly send rice to the machines that form and fill 4Sisters Rice. Once a truckload is completed (42,000lbs) it’s then sent to our warehouse to be prepared for shipment to the final customer, you and your family!
3. How does 4Sisters prioritize efficiency and sustainability in its warehouse operations?
Our warehouse receives orders several weeks in advance to allow enough time to prepare each shipment. The rice is then staged near the load-out area of the warehouse, allowing warehouse personnel to load a truck in the shortest amount of time. To prioritize sustainability, we operate electric forklifts and use LED lighting throughout our warehousing division.
4. What measures are taken to maintain the quality of the rice during transportation and storage?
The product is loaded on staggered pallets and secured on each truck in a way that prevents shifting, leaning, or sliding during transit. We use air dunnage bags between each pallet to take up any space between products to also help with shifting. All of this helps ensure that our product is delivered in the same manner it leaves our warehouse. Our warehouse facility is also cleaned and inspected daily to prevent any type of threat to the quality of our products.
5. What do you find most rewarding about working as Director of Warehousing and Logistics within the rice industry?
As a parent and understanding the importance of protecting my children and what they eat, I find my role rewarding knowing that I have a big role in providing the best quality rice for families and children worldwide.
6. What is your favorite 4Sisters rice variety and your go-to rice recipe?
Regular long-grain rice for me! My go-to recipes are Hamburger steak over rice and gravy or red beans and rice!
Meet Matt Spillers - 4Sisters Logistics Manager, father of 3 girls, Veteran, and has been with 4Sisters Rice for 4 years.
1. How did you become the Logistics Manager at 4Sisters, and what does your role involve?
I retired from the Army in 2014 and as part of my offboarding, I had to submit a resume to my veteran counselor. I didn’t have plans to go back to work but life happens when you’re making plans. I received a call from COO, Marley Oldham, in October 2019 asking if I would have a sit down with him and Meryl. That same day, my dad had just been released from care after major back surgery. Tending to him and helping my mom had been my focus up until then.
The day before I received Marley’s call my 3 daughters sat me down and told me I needed to find something to do, as they were getting older and needed less attention. The timing couldn’t have been more on point.
I had only briefly worked in logistics in the Army as my primary job was in combat arms. An injury in Afghanistan caused me to have to train in another field, if not for that, I doubt I would be here in this role now.
My role in this company is centered on the 4Sisters brand. Processing orders is one of the main things that requires the majority of my time, making sure the right products and quantities are pulled, staged, labeled, and routed correctly within our allotted timeframe.
Creating a framework of carriers, and maintaining constant communication with them and my team at the warehouse is paramount. I spend time tracking orders and informing our buyers on timeframes of delivery or any delay that may have occurred. Training is something else I do daily, not just for my self-improvement but also training my employees to do my job. I need to make sure that if something unexpected happens to me, someone has the knowledge to step up and take over with little to no delays for our customers.
2. Can you walk us through the journey of rice from the farm to the warehouse, and eventually to the customers?
Once the seeds are planted in the fields they go through 3 stages of growth, vegetative growth, reproductive, and ripening (grain filling), before being harvested. Once harvested typically in the fall, the rice goes through several stages such as drying, cleaning, grading, storing, weighing, and milling, then it’s off to packaging.
Once packaged, the pallets are loaded onto our trucks at the mill and moved to our warehouse about an hour away. We receive advanced notice on what’s coming with the appropriate paperwork, including the security seal number, which we verify once the truck reaches our facility. We operate on a FIFO (first come first out) principle, as well as a color-coded system to ensure that the customers are always getting fresh products and keeping our stock rotated.
Once the product has reached our facility, it’s staged in a designated area based on which product it is. I review and process orders, push those out to the warehouse for picking, route them with carriers for pick up, and finally off for delivery to our customers!
3. How does 4Sisters prioritize efficiency and sustainability in its logistics operations?
This is one of our biggest goals. We do this with redundancy and attention to detail. Every order is triple-checked for accuracy in product type, product count, ship dates, and shipment configuration, and then it’s rechecked. We look at which carrier has the best relationship and on-time schedule to mitigate post-must-arrive-by-date deliveries based on where the shipment is going and to what customer.
4. What do you find most rewarding about working in logistics management within the rice industry?
We maintain a food-grade warehouse where housekeeping is just as much a part of our focus as any other aspect of our process.
Simply put, we keep it clean, if we aren’t processing and pulling orders, then we’re maintaining our warehouse and our grounds. We make sure the trailers that we put our products on are clean, and free of holes/leaks, smells, odors, allergens, or debris. Any of these things will cause a trailer that is hauling our product to be rejected and a recovery requested. This isn’t something we take lightly and we react accordingly for the benefit of our customers when we encounter any such situation.
5. What measures are taken to maintain the quality of the rice during transportation and storage?
No day is ever the same as the day before, there’s always new challenges that arise that require some analytical thought and a healthy dose of can-do attitude. Small mistakes have big consequences, the reward comes from small wins every day that we’ve done right by our customers and our company.
6. What are your favorite 4Sisters rice variety and your go-to rice recipe?
Our Jasmine is my favorite. I am a sucker for some good Jambalaya.
What questions do you have for our employees? Drop them for us here and make sure to shop 4Sisters Rice on our website or Amazon to support directly from our farm to your home!
4Sisters Rice is now found in over 9,000 stores nationwide and continues to grow. With the rise of online grocery shopping after the pandemic, we’ve also launched our direct-to-consumer online store, where you can find all of our latest products.
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