Every year in November a panel of chefs sits down in front of a row of unmarked bowls of rice. They smell, taste, poke at the texture, and score. At the end, one rice is named the World’s Best Rice. For a lot of buyers, the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali has won over the years is the reason they first tried Thai fragrant rice at all.
We’re De Thai Products 1989 Company Limited, a mill and exporter in Chachoengsao, Thailand, and Hom Mali is the rice we’re proudest of. This page tells the real story of the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali has collected, including the years it lost. Then it explains what that means for you as a buyer, and what we actually sell: the grade, the spec sheet, the bags and the shipping.
Table of Contents
What Is the World’s Best Rice Award?
The contest is run by The Rice Trader, a US based trade publication, at its annual World Rice Conference. It started in 2009. Each year the conference moves to a different rice trading city. Countries enter their best rice, usually split into categories like fragrant, white and japonica, and a panel of chefs judges the finalists blind on aroma, taste, texture and looks.
There’s no sales figure in the scoring. No price. Just the rice in the bowl. That’s why the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali has picked up carries weight with chefs and retailers. You can see more about the organizer on The Rice Trader’s website.
The World’s Best Rice Award Thai Hom Mali Record
Here’s the honest year by year picture as best we can piece it together from the conference results.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Thai Hom Mali |
| 2010 | Thai Hom Mali |
| 2011 | Thai Hom Mali |
| 2012 | Cambodia (Phka Rumduol) |
| 2013 | Cambodia (Phka Rumduol) |
| 2014 | Shared: Thai Hom Mali and Cambodia |
| 2015 | United States (Calrose) |
| 2016 | Thai Hom Mali |
| 2017 | Thai Hom Mali |
| 2018 | Cambodia (Malys Angkor) |
| 2019 | Vietnam (ST24) |
| 2020 | Thai Hom Mali |
| 2021 | Thai Hom Mali |
| 2022 | Cambodia (Phka Rumduol) |
| 2023 | Vietnam (ST25) |
| 2024 | Cambodia (Malys Angkor) |
| 2025 | Shared: Cambodia and Vietnam (ST25) |
Count it up and the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali total is the highest of any single rice in the contest’s history. It was also the first ever winner.
But look at the last four years too. Thai Hom Mali hasn’t taken the title since 2021. We won’t pretend otherwise.
Why Thai Hom Mali Kept Winning
The varieties behind Thai Hom Mali, KDML105 and RD15, have a very high level of the natural aroma compound that gives fragrant rice its pandan smell. Grown in the sandy, slightly salty soils of northeast Thailand, especially the Thung Kula Rong Hai plain, they produce a long, slim, glossy grain that cooks soft but doesn’t fall apart.
That combination of strong aroma, soft texture and clean look is exactly what chefs score highly. It’s also why the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali story started with three straight wins.
Then there’s the purity rule. To be exported as Thai Hom Mali, rice has to be at least 92% genuine Hom Mali grains. Our page on Thai Hom Mali rice 92% purity explains how that works. It means the rice entered in competition represents a regulated grade, not a one-off special batch.
Why It Lost Some Years
This part matters if you’re buying, because the same things affect your rice.
Crop year aroma
In 2022 Hom Mali lost to Cambodia’s Phka Rumduol by a very small margin. Thai exporters said afterwards that a judge told them the Thai entry that year simply wasn’t as fragrant as usual. Weather during the growing season affects aroma. Some years are better than others.
Strong new rivals
Cambodia’s premium jasmine is a close genetic cousin of Hom Mali and grows just across the border. Vietnam’s ST24 and ST25 were bred specifically to be premium fragrant rice and have done very well with judges.
Thailand didn’t always enter every category
In 2023, Thai exporters said Thailand hadn’t entered rice in every category that year.
So the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali record has gaps for real reasons. None of them change what good Hom Mali is. They do remind you that crop year and handling matter.
What the Award Means for You as a Buyer
Let’s be practical. Your customers don’t taste the competition sample. They taste what’s in your bag. So what does the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali history actually give you?
- Name recognition. “Award winning Thai Hom Mali” is a phrase that sells on shelves and menus worldwide.
- A benchmark. The award shows what top grade Hom Mali can be. Use it as the standard you hold suppliers to.
- A reason to buy genuine. If you mention the award on your packaging or menu, the rice inside had better be the real thing.
What the award doesn’t give you is a guarantee that every bag labeled Hom Mali is award quality. That depends on purity, crop year, milling and storage. Which brings us to what we sell.
What We Sell: The Same Grain, Graded and Tested
We mill KDML105 and RD15 Hom Mali from northeast paddy. It’s the same variety that built the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali reputation. Here’s our standard export spec.
| Item | Our standard |
|---|---|
| Variety | Thai Hom Mali (KDML105 / RD15) |
| Purity | 92% minimum, aiming much higher |
| Broken | 4.5% maximum |
| Moisture | 14% maximum |
| Chalky kernels | 6% maximum |
| Yellow kernels | 0.2% maximum |
| Milling | Double polished, 100% sortexed |
| Crop | Current season, stated in writing |
| Shelf life | 12 to 24 months |
For a tighter premium grade, see our Thai Hom Mali rice 100% grade A. For the variety itself, read Hom Mali 105 rice (KDML 105). The main product page is Thai Hom Mali rice for sale.
How we keep it close to competition quality
- We buy from the main northeast growing provinces.
- We rest and dry paddy properly before milling.
- Every lot is color sorted and hand checked.
- Our QC team cooks and smells every lot.
- We date every bag and won’t pass off old crop as new.
Our quality control page shows the full process.
Packing and Private Label
The World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali reputation is a big help if you’re building your own brand. We pack:
- 1kg, 2kg and 5kg retail bags, vacuum or standard
- 10kg and 25kg bags
- 50kg PP woven bags
- Jumbo bags
- Fully printed private label bags in your design
A note on labels. If you want to mention the award on your packaging, keep the wording accurate. Say the Thai Hom Mali variety has won the World’s Best Rice title, not that your specific bag won it. Check your own market’s labeling rules too. Our private label Thai Hom Mali rice page covers how we work with brands.
Containers, Minimums and Price
A 20ft container takes about 20 to 25 tons. Our usual minimum is one container, and you can mix in other grades. See Thai rice minimum order quantity and Thai Hom Mali rice bulk and container supply.
Price depends on paddy cost, crop year, broken percentage, packing, the baht and freight. Hom Mali is the most expensive Thai rice and the gap with other origins is wide right now. That’s the honest cost of the variety behind the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali titles. Current levels are on our Thai Hom Mali rice price per ton page.
7 Proven Facts Every Buyer Should Know
1. The award goes to the variety, not a brand
When people say Thai Hom Mali won, they mean a Thai Hom Mali entry. Any genuine supplier sells the same variety. What differs is grade and handling.
2. Purity is regulated
At least 92% Hom Mali grains for the export name. Ask for it in your contract.
3. There’s one crop a year
Hom Mali is harvested in November and December. Our Thai rice harvest season guide explains how to time purchases.
4. Aroma fades with time
The strongest scent is in the first six months after milling. Buy fresh and store cool.
5. Cambodia and Vietnam are serious competitors
They’ve won the World’s Best Rice title too. If you’re comparing, read Thai jasmine rice vs Cambodian jasmine rice and Thai rice vs Vietnamese rice.
6. Pathumthani is not Hom Mali
It’s a good, cheaper Thai fragrant rice, but it isn’t the variety behind the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali record. See Pathumthani fragrant rice vs Hom Mali rice.
7. Fakes exist
When a name sells, people copy it. Check origin papers, buy from mills you can verify, and cook samples. Our how to identify genuine Thai Hom Mali rice guide helps.
A Buyer Example
A specialty grocer we supply in Australia wanted to launch a premium rice line. They’d read about the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali story and wanted to use it in their marketing. We sent new crop samples in January, they cooked them against two other brands on the shelf, and picked ours. The bag says “Thai Hom Mali, the variety named World’s Best Rice”, with the crop year printed on the back. It’s now their best selling rice.
The award got customers to try it. The rice in the bag got them to buy it again.
Cooking It the Way Judges Taste It
To get the most out of new crop Hom Mali:
- Rinse two or three times until the water runs nearly clear.
- Use about 1 cup rice to 1.25 cups water for new crop, a bit more for older rice.
- Cook, then rest covered for ten minutes before opening.
- Fluff gently with a paddle.
That’s roughly how a good restaurant cooks it, and it’s how the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali judges would have tasted it.
Documents With Every Shipment
- Commercial invoice and packing list
- Bill of lading
- Certificate of origin
- Phytosanitary and fumigation certificates
- Quality and weight certificate
- Thai Hom Mali certificate where the lot qualifies
Details: rice export documents. The jasmine rice entry on Wikipedia is also handy background for your sales team.
How the Judging Works
It helps to know how the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali wins were actually decided. The details change a little from year to year, but the general setup stays the same. Each country’s rice association or exporters choose their entries. The organizer collects samples, cooks them in the same way and serves them unmarked. A panel, usually professional chefs plus some food experts, smells, tastes and looks at each one. Finalists go through another round. The top scorer is named the World’s Best Rice.
A few things follow from that. First, the contest rewards rice that’s at its peak on the day. A great variety from a weak crop year can lose. Second, it rewards fragrance and texture over everything else, which suits jasmine-type rice. Third, small differences decide it. Several years have come down to a point or two.
That’s worth knowing when you read headlines about the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali result in any given year. A loss doesn’t mean Thai rice got worse overnight. A win doesn’t mean every bag in the world is perfect. It’s a snapshot of one crop, one sample, one day.
World’s Best Rice Award Thai Hom Mali: Year by Year Notes
2009 to 2011. Thai Hom Mali won the first three contests. That run did a lot to make “Thai jasmine” the default premium rice in import markets worldwide.
2012 and 2013. Cambodia’s Phka Rumduol took over, a big moment for a country that had only recently started exporting rice in volume.
2014. The title was shared between Thailand and Cambodia, which tells you how close the two are.
2015. American Calrose won, a medium grain rice, showing that judges don’t always reward fragrance.
2016 and 2017. Thai Hom Mali came back and won twice.
2018 and 2019. Cambodia, then Vietnam’s ST24.
2020 and 2021. Two more Thai wins. The 2020 contest was held online because of the pandemic.
2022 onwards. Cambodia in 2022 and 2024, Vietnam’s ST25 in 2023, and a shared Cambodia and Vietnam title in 2025.
Put together, the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali record shows long-term strength with some real competition in recent years. The next contest will tell us if Thailand gets back on top.
Why Chefs Care About the Award
The World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali name means more to chefs than to most shoppers. For chefs, the award is shorthand. They don’t have time to test thirty rices. When a supplier says “this is the variety that won”, it gets the bag onto the tasting table. After that, the rice has to do the work.
We’ve seen this many times. A restaurant group hears about the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali story, asks for samples, and compares them with what they’re using. If the rice is fresh and graded well, they switch. If it’s old or blended, they don’t. The award opens the door, nothing more.
Using the Award in Your Marketing
If you’re a brand owner or retailer, the award is a fair thing to talk about, as long as you do it honestly. A few ideas that work well:
- A short line on the front of pack: “Thai Hom Mali, the variety named World’s Best Rice.”
- A small story on the back explaining where the rice is grown and what the award is.
- Crop year printed clearly, so shoppers know they’re getting fresh rice.
- A menu note for restaurants: “Our steamed rice is genuine Thai Hom Mali.”
What to avoid: claiming your specific product won, or using an award year that doesn’t match. And always check the labeling rules in your country. We’re happy to help with wording on private label bags, but your local rules come first.
Done right, the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali history can lift a premium line without any overclaiming.
Hom Mali Grades We Offer
The award talk is about top grade rice, but we sell a range so buyers can match price to market.
| Grade | Broken max | Typical buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Thai Hom Mali 100% grade A | 4% or lower | Premium retail, fine dining |
| Thai Hom Mali 92% purity | 4.5% | Retail, restaurants, distributors |
| Thai Hom Mali 10% broken | 10% | Food service, high volume kitchens |
| Thai Hom Mali 25% broken | 25% | Budget fragrant lines |
| Hom Mali 100% broken | All broken | Porridge, desserts, flour |
All of them come from the same KDML105 and RD15 paddy that built the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali name. The difference is how many grains broke and how tightly we sort. For bag sizes, see Thai Hom Mali rice 25kg bag and 50kg bag, and for bulk, Thai Hom Mali rice wholesale.
What Buyers Ask Before Ordering
“Can I get the same lot that won?” No. Competition samples are small, selected lots. What you can get is the same variety, same region, same grade standard.
“Is new crop better for award quality?” For aroma, yes. Plan your order around harvest.
“Does a higher grade cost much more?” It depends on the crop. Usually the step from 92% purity at 4.5% broken to grade A is noticeable but not huge.
The World’s Best Rice Award Thai Hom Mali Effect on Trade
Awards don’t change prices overnight, but they do move things. After each World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali win, exporters usually see more inquiries from new markets, especially from restaurant groups and premium supermarkets. Thai trade officials have used the wins in promotion campaigns abroad for years.
When Thailand loses, the effect runs the other way. Competitors use their win in their own marketing, and some buyers try the other origin. That’s exactly what happened after 2022, and it’s part of why the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali story is so closely watched by exporters here.
For you as a buyer, the useful point is this: the award sets expectations. If you sell Hom Mali under a premium label, your customers may have read about it. The rice in your bag has to live up to the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali reputation, or the story works against you.
How We Keep Our Hom Mali Close to Award Standard
Nobody can promise every bag tastes like a competition sample. What we can do is control the things that matter most.
We buy paddy from the main northeast areas and check it on arrival. We dry it slowly and rest it before milling. We sort every lot by color, then check by hand. We cook and smell each lot. We print the crop year on the bag. And we don’t sell old crop as new.
Those habits are why buyers who come to us after reading about the World’s Best Rice award Thai Hom Mali titles tend to stay. The rice smells and cooks the way they hoped it would.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many times has Thai Hom Mali won World’s Best Rice?
More than any other single rice in the contest: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014 (shared), 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2021.
Who won most recently?
In 2025 the title was shared by Cambodia and Vietnam’s ST25. Cambodia won in 2024.
Is your rice the same as the award winning rice?
It’s the same Thai Hom Mali variety, graded to the export standard. The competition entry itself is a selected sample, so we’d never claim our bag won the trophy.
Can I mention the award on my packaging?
Many brands mention that the Thai Hom Mali variety has won it. Keep it accurate and check your local rules.
Do you ship worldwide?
Yes, to any port with regular container service.
Can I get samples?
Yes. We’ll send new crop samples with the spec sheet.
Buy the Grain Behind the World’s Best Rice Award Thai Hom Mali Titles
Send us your tonnage, packing, brand needs and destination port. We’ll reply with a dated offer and samples. You can also read about us, see our achievements and brands, or look at our Thai Hom Mali rice exporter and Thai Hom Mali rice supplier pages.
De Thai Products 1989 Company Limited. Email info@dethairice.com, WhatsApp +66 81 034 6390, or use our contact page.
