[3] In the 1980s, Dr. Richard and Patricia Schulze became interested in the variety while restoring rice ponds on their vacation property in Hardeeville, South Carolina.

[3] They found out that a USDA center on rice research in Texas had retained a stock of it in its seed bank.

[4] Two commercial efforts, Anson Mills and Carolina Plantation Rice, began selling the variety to the general public in 1998, after an effort at Clemson University had bred a disease-resistant strain.

While Riviana Foods sells rice under the brand name Carolina Rice, including a parboiled variety called Carolina Gold, these share no connection to the variety of the name.

[1][5] It has since expanded to other heirlooms such as French Huguenot black landrace buckwheat, Sea Island red peas, and others.