Move over pasta, here's Italian rice

A foreign company selling rice in China may sound like "selling coal to Newcastle", but DOC39 Italian Taste has been doing exactly that - and with considerable success.

The Italian company has been selling its medium-grained carnaroli and black venere nero rice varieties from northern Italy's Verona region in China since 2008.

These rice varieties are considered the best for making risotto. The company sells its organic rice for 20 yuan ($2.9) a kg, compared to 10 to 15 yuan per kg for Chinese white rice.