Lotus Foods

What Lotus Foods does

Lotus Foods is a privately-held, Certified Benefit Corporation and B Corp headquartered in San Francisco, California, that designs, sources, and distributes organic, heirloom, and regenerative rice and rice-based products. Founded in 1995 by Caryl Levine and Ken Lee, the company pioneered branded heirloom rice in the US through its trademarked Forbidden Rice® (black rice), Jade Pearl Rice™ (bamboo-extract-infused green rice), and Rice Is Life® lines, alongside a portfolio of rice ramen noodles (including Wide White Rice Ramen and Millet & Brown Rice Ramen), rice noodles (Pad Thai, Pho, Soba, Udon), and heat-and-eat rice pouches. The company's proprietary More Crop Per Drop® methodology — its trademarked application of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) — reduces water use by 25-50%, methane emissions by 40%, and seed requirements by up to 90% while increasing yields 2-3X, and is the technical foundation of its differentiated supply chain.

The company sources from smallholder farmers in Thailand, India, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, and California (via a 2026 partnership with Next Generation Foods), operating nearly 3,000 farmer relationships in Thailand alone and holding the first Regenerative Organic Certified Gold rice designation for its basmati line. Products carry stacked certifications including USDA Organic, GFCO Gluten-Free, Non-GMO Project Verified, Kosher, Vegan, and Fair Trade.

Lotus Foods generates revenue through one-time product sales distributed across major US retailers (Kroger, Walmart, Whole Foods Market, Amazon) reaching over 3,400 stores, plus direct-to-consumer e-commerce via lotusfoods.com (with $79+ free shipping) and export channels that drove a reported 25% year-over-year sales increase. Unit pricing ranges from approximately $2.89 to $9.99 per SKU. The company is led by CEO Andrew Burke (promoted 2023) with co-founders Levine and Lee on the board, and received a $22.5 million growth investment from impact-focused Grounded Capital in July 2024 to scale regenerative sourcing, farmer impact, and biodiversity initiatives.

Name

Lotus Foods

Legal name

Lotus Foods Inc.

Website

https://lotusfoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lotus Foods is a privately-held, Certified Benefit Corporation founded in 1995 that designs, sources, and distributes organic, heirloom, and regenerative rice and rice-based noodles to US consumers through 3,400+ retail stores and direct e-commerce. The company partners with smallholder farmers globally using its trademarked More Crop Per Drop® agroecological methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Organic Rice and Rice Noodles

NAICS

Rice Farming (11116), Rice Milling (311212)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Rice Farming (AFAGAAAC)

Keywords

• Organic rice products
• Rice ramen noodles
• Heirloom rice varieties
• Regenerative rice farming
• Gluten-free noodles

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Lotus Foods generates revenue through the sale of organic, heirloom, and regenerative rice products and rice noodles directly to consumers via e-commerce and to retailers for resale.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lotus Foods produces and sells a portfolio of organic, heirloom, and regenerative rice varieties plus value-added rice-based products including rice ramen noodles, rice noodles, and ready-to-eat heat-and-eat rice pouches. Products are sourced from smallholder farmer cooperatives in Asia and the U.S. using the proprietary More Crop Per Drop® (System of Rice Intensification) method, and are sold direct-to-consumer online and through national retailers in 3,400+ stores.

Product overview

Lotus Foods is a specialty food company offering a portfolio of organic, regenerative, and heirloom rice products and rice-based noodles. The product line includes: (1) Premium rice varieties including Organic Jade Pearl Rice, Organic White/Brown Basmati Rice, Organic White/Brown Jasmine Rice, Organic Forbidden Rice, and Organic Red Rice; (2) Rice ramen noodles including Organic Wide White Rice Ramen, Organic Millet & Brown Rice Ramen, and Organic Jade Pearl Rice Ramen in both 4-pack and soup cup formats; (3) Rice noodles including Pad Thai, Pho, Buckwheat Soba, Udon, and Pad Thai varieties; (4) Heat & Eat rice pouches for convenient meal preparation. All products emphasize organic certification, gluten-free formulations, and sustainable sourcing from smallholder farmers using regenerative agricultural practices. The company also publishes a cookbook titled 'RICE IS LIFE' through Chronicle Books.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Forbidden Rice®: Heirloom black rice variety, the company's first product trademarked in 1995.
• Jade Pearl Rice™
• More Crop Per Drop®
• Rice Is Life

Products and services

• Organic Wide White Rice Ramen (4 Ramen Cakes) Extra-wide organic white rice ramen noodles (4 ramen cakes per pack) that are never fried, with a clean mild flavor and double the width of typical ramen for a satisfying bouncy bite. Targeted at health-conscious consumers seeking gluten-free ramen options.
• Organic Millet & Brown Rice Ramen (4 Ramen Cakes) Bestselling ramen made from organic brown rice and organic millet; 4 ramen cakes per pack. Certified Gluten-Free, Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, and Kosher. Production transitioned to Thailand in 2025.
• Organic Jade Pearl Rice™ Short-grain sushi-style rice infused with bamboo extract to give a natural jade-green color. Now grown in California in partnership with Next Generation Foods. Naturally sticky with subtle sweetness.
• Regenerative Organic White Basmati Rice Heirloom basmati rice grown on family farms in Northern India; the first Regenerative Organic Certified Gold rice. Exceptional aroma, flavor, and texture; cooks soft and fluffy in 20 minutes.
• Regenerative Organic White Baby Basmati Rice Unique heirloom rice variety grown in West Bengal, India. Half the size of traditional basmati with tender texture, fragrant aroma, and delicate flavor; cooks in just 10 minutes.
• Organic White Jasmine Rice Premium long-grain Phka Malis rice grown on small family farms in Thailand. Naturally fragrant with floral aroma and soft, slightly sticky texture; cooks in 20 minutes.
• Regenerative Organic Brown Basmati Rice Brown basmati rice with Regenerative Organic Certified status, grown on family farms in Northern India with whole grain nutritional benefits.
• Organic Forbidden Rice® Heirloom black rice trademarked as Forbidden Rice® after the Chinese Imperial palace tradition. High in anthocyanins with a distinctive black color; Lotus Foods' foundational product since 1995.
• Organic Red Rice Organic red rice with distinctive color and nutty flavor. Part of the Lotus Foods heirloom rice collection.
• Organic Buckwheat & Brown Soba Rice Noodles Japanese-style soba noodles combining organic buckwheat with organic whole grain brown rice. Gluten-free with a rich nutty taste; suitable for chilled dipping, hot broth, or stir-fry.
• Organic Traditional Pad Thai Rice Noodles Versatile noodles crafted from organic heirloom white rice. Suitable for Asian-style dishes, sauce-forward meals, or as a gluten-free pasta replacement; cooks in 7 minutes.
• Organic Brown Pad Thai Rice Noodles Brown rice noodles made from organic whole grain brown rice, offered as a whole-grain alternative to traditional Pad Thai noodles.
• Organic Traditional Pho Rice Noodles Thin-style rice noodles for Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine. Made with organic white rice and can be soaked in boiling water for 4 minutes without cooking.
• Organic Brown Udon Rice Noodles Brown rice udon-style noodles that are thick and chewy with whole grain benefits; versatile for soups, stir-fries, and noodle dishes.
• Millet & Brown Rice Ramen with Red Miso Soup Cup Ready-to-eat single-serve ramen soup cup pairing Millet & Brown Rice Ramen with red miso broth.
• Jade Pearl Rice Ramen with Wakame Miso Soup Cup Ready-to-eat single-serve ramen soup cup pairing Jade Pearl Rice Ramen with wakame miso broth.
• Garlicky Veggie Rice Ramen Noodle Soup Cup Instant ramen soup cup with garlicky veggie broth and freeze-dried chunky vegetables in a 1.94 oz single-serve format.
• Red Miso Rice Ramen Noodle Soup Cup Instant ramen soup cup with red miso broth in a 2 oz single-serve format.
• Tom Yum Rice Ramen Noodle Soup Cup Instant ramen soup cup with Thai-inspired spicy and sour Tom Yum flavor.
• Organic White Jasmine & Forbidden Rice Blend Heat & Eat Pouch Precooked rice pouch that heats in minutes, blending white jasmine and forbidden rice for enhanced nutrition and flavor.
• Organic White Jasmine Rice Heat & Eat Pouch Precooked organic white jasmine rice in a single-serve heat-and-eat pouch format.
• Organic Brown Jasmine Rice Heat & Eat Pouch Precooked organic brown jasmine rice in a single-serve heat-and-eat pouch format.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Next Generation FoodscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFarmer-owned company founded in 2006 by fifth-generation Northern California farmer Michael Bosworth. Partners with family farmland cultivated since 1946. Grows Organic Jade Pearl Rice in California using organic farming practices since 1997, providing full traceability from field to finished grain.
• PraTithi Organic Foods Pvt. Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner since 2019, based in Uttar Pradesh, India. Pioneer in organic farming partnering with small/marginal farmers, preserving traditional knowledge and local crop varieties using More Crop Per Drop methods. Farmers producing heirloom Basmati rice qualified for Regenerative Organic Certified Gold.
• Dalian HongRen Whole Grain Foodstuffs Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner since 1995, based in Heilongjiang province, China. One of the first and longest suppliers, providing Organic Forbidden Rice and Heirloom Forbidden Rice grown on small family farms in China's far Northeast provinces with fertile, unpolluted soils.
• Foodtech Solutions (FTS) / Amnatcharoen Organic Agricultural Community Enterprise NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner since 2017, based in Amantcharoen Province, Thailand. Addresses power imbalance between large millers and small producers, applying ecological principles to revive on-farm soil fertility and produce certified organic rice. Network members meet monthly for training.
• Oasis / Surin Family FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFLO-certified Small Producer Organization with about 650 small-scale farmer-members in Surin, Thailand. Founded in 2018, enables small-scale farmers to access premium markets, growing red and white jasmine rice plus diversification with herbs and vegetables.
• Cambodian Organic Farm Enterprise (COFE) Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner since 2008, based in Takeo, Cambodia. Grew out of pioneering work by Cambodian NGO CEDAC to improve farmers' food security using System of Rice Intensification (More Crop Per Drop). Lotus Foods was COFE's first international buyer.
• Bloom AgrocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner since 2009, based in Central Java, Indonesia. Supplies Tricolor Blend Rice and was the first rice ever to qualify for Fair for Life certification. Partners with youthful, entrepreneurial farmers, addressing fair pricing, water use, and gender equity.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lundberg Family Farms: Family-owned US organic rice and rice product brand. Most direct competitor to Lotus Foods in organic and regenerative rice, with overlapping retail presence and similar heirloom/specialty varietal positioning.
• Tilda Rice: Premium basmati and specialty rice brand with strong global distribution. Comparable to Lotus Foods in positioning heirloom and aromatic rice varieties at premium price points in mainstream retail.
• Alter Eco: Mission-driven specialty food brand selling rice, quinoa, and noodles sourced through Fair Trade and regenerative programs. Closely comparable to Lotus Foods' sustainable sourcing and heirloom rice model.
• RiceSelect: Specialty rice brand offering premium, organic, and textured rice varieties to US grocery. Direct overlap with Lotus Foods on packaged specialty rice SKUs at retail.
• Annie Chun's: Asian-inspired noodle and rice brand sold through US mass and natural channels. Comparable product mix (rice noodles, ramen-style SKUs) and similar retail distribution model.
• Lotus Foods competitor: King Soba: Organic and gluten-free noodle brand with rice and buckwheat noodle lines. Directly comparable to Lotus Foods on rice noodle product format and natural foods channel placement.

Emerging players

• Koda Farms: California-based heritage rice grower and miller specializing in heirloom and sweet rice varieties. Comparable niche focus on specialty/heirloom rice with limited distribution.
• Patagonia Provisions: Regenerative and organic food brand with heritage grain and rice product lines. Comparable mission-driven sourcing model and overlap on regenerative organic grains.

Broad incumbents

• Ben's Original (Mars): Mass-market packaged rice brand owned by Mars, Inc. with broad US grocery distribution. Sets the competitive baseline for shelf space and pricing in the mainstream rice category where Lotus Foods also competes.
• Nature's Path Foods: Established organic and natural foods brand with broader portfolio across cereal, snacks, and grains. Comparable organic certification depth and natural foods channel presence.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/LotusFoodsInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/LotusFoods
• Instagraminstagram.com/lotusfoods
• Pinterestin.pinterest.com/lotusfoods
• TikToktiktok.com/@lotusfoods
• Xx.com/LotusFoods
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3579540

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lotus Foods