Bacterial cellulose (BC), produced by some bacteria has received attention because its high purity and robust characteristics enable its use in medicine and industry. This study aimed to screen bacteria capable of producing BC from fruits, and to optimize the BC production in both traditional YE yeast fermentation and Schramm and Hestrin (SH) media. The rice washing drainage without any pretreatment as the sole carbon source in the yeast medium was also investigated for BC production in both static and agitated cultures. The bacterial strain Li1 isolated from apple (Malus pumila) was identified as Komagataeibacter (Gluconacetobacter) nataicola based on 16S rDNA sequence analysis. K. nataicola Li1 cultured in a YE medium produced significantly more BC than that in a SH medium in the static culture. Moreover, the weight yields of dry BC films obtained from rice washing drainage and YE media in the static cultures were not significantly different. However, in the agitated culture, the weight yields of dry BC films were more significant in the YE medium than in rice washing drainage medium. In addition, the structure and properties of BC were determined using SEM, FTIR, DSC and XRD. This study shows that rice washing drainage can be used as the carbon source for BC production by K. nataicola Li1.