Louisiana Farm is Turning Leftover Rice in to Vodka

Louisiana farmers left with more of what they grow than they can sell are usually left out in the cold.  A new company called Fruge Spirits is taking leftover rice and turning into vodka.

The leftover rice comes from sister company Fruge Aquafarms, and the process aims to turn a loss into a new revenue stream.  The farms are intended to provide rice for yet another branch of the company, Fruge Seafood, for dishes like gumbo and jambalaya. All three companies are based in Acadia Parish, where the Fruge family has been farming rice since 1896.

The rice based vodka is named after owners Michael and Mark Fruge's great-great-uncle J.T. Meleck, but you can't buy it just yet.  The website claims that it's coming soon, and according to US News and World Report - it's not the only rice-based liquor on the horizon.  The company is also reportedly preparing a rice whiskey for market to follow the vodka.  So far, 9,000 cases of whiskey have been aging since March.  No release date has been announced for either product.