Sun Valley Rice

What Sun Valley Rice does

Sun Valley Rice (The Sun Valley Rice Company, LLC) is a vertically integrated specialty rice processor headquartered in Arbuckle, California, founded in 2000 by the LaGrande family, which has been growing rice in the Sacramento Valley since 1921/1924. The company sources from approximately 125 family farms within a 100-mile radius of its mill and operates the largest and most advanced sprouting facility in Northern California. Its proprietary assets include a closed-loop stainless steel sprouting system, double-pass Shanzer drying, Kapika polishing, color sorters, and specialized Japanese sake milling equipment for Junmai, Ginjo, and Daiginjo grades; milling standards exceed USDA requirements.

The company serves four primary segments: food and beverage manufacturers (through the Valley Select Ingredients B2B subsidiary supplying sprouted rice, broken rice, hulls, and bran to power bar, flour, cracker, cereal, rice milk, sake, vinegar, and pet food applications); private label customers (custom packaging and in-house labeling across multi-wall paper, PE, PP, and bulk bags); restaurants and foodservice (sushi rice, specialty Japanese varieties, and custom blends); and retail consumers via the Gen-Ji-Mai, Daichi, and Planet Rice brands, including e-commerce through Amazon and retail presence in Costco Japan. Distribution reaches six continents and over 50 countries, with a dedicated UK sales office in Guildford for Europe and Africa; in July 2019 the company became the first US business to export rice to China.

Monetization spans consumer branded products, B2B ingredient sales, private label manufacturing, and specialized toll services (sprouting, milling, sake polishing, and packaging). Certifications include FSSC 22000, FDA Food Defense Plan, FSMA, HACCP, organic, Non-GMO, gluten-free, whole grain, and kosher. The company is a subsidiary of the family-controlled LaGrande Family Foods Group, employs approximately 100 workers in Arbuckle, and is led by Ken LaGrande as CEO/President with no disclosed external institutional capital.

Name

Sun Valley Rice

Legal name

The Sun Valley Rice Company, LLC

Website

https://sunvalleyrice.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sun Valley Rice is a vertically integrated, family-owned specialty rice processor in Arbuckle, California, founded in 2000 by the LaGrande family. It supplies food manufacturers, private label brands, restaurants, sake brewers, and retail consumers across six continents through proprietary sprouting, milling, sake polishing, and packaging capabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rice Milling & Processing

NAICS

Rice Milling (311212), Grain and Oilseed Milling (3112)

SIC

Grain Mill Products (2040)

akta.pro primary industry

Rice & Grain Processing (milling, polishing, parboiling, blending) (AFAKABAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Flour & Milling Products Manufacturing (wheat, corn, rice, specialty flours) (AFAKABAD)

Keywords

• Rice milling
• Sprouted rice
• Rice ingredients
• Private label rice
• Sake rice processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Arbuckle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consumer Rice Products: Sale of branded rice products to consumers through retail stores and e-commerce channels. Products include Gen-Ji-Mai, Daichi, and Planet Rice brands sold in various packaging options.
2. Private Label Manufacturing: Manufacturing rice products under customer brands. The company provides in-house labeling and marketing assistance, serving restaurants, foodservice, and retail customers with custom packaging.
3. Food Ingredient Sales: Supplying rice ingredients to food manufacturers for use in products such as power bars, flour, crackers, cereal, rice milk, and pet foods. Includes broken rice, rice hulls, raw bran, and sprouted rice ingredients.
4. Sake Rice Milling: Specialized milling services for sake breweries ranging from large industrial to small craft micro-brewers. Services include polishing rice to various specifications for Junmai, Ginjo, and Daiginjo grades.
5. Toll Sprouting Services: Toll sprouting and toll cleaning services for gluten-free products. The company sprouts various rice varieties for customers including medium grain, short grain, long grain, jasmine, basmati, and specialty rices.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sun Valley Rice is a vertically integrated rice processor that mills, sprouts, packages, and distributes branded and private-label rice products. Its offerings span house brands (Gen-Ji-Mai, Daichi, Planet Rice), toll sprouting and milling services (including specialized Japanese sake rice polishing), custom packaging from 1 lb to 1 metric ton, rice-based ingredients for food manufacturers, and global logistics reaching 50+ countries. The company sources exclusively from approximately 125 family farms within 100 miles of its Arbuckle, California mill.

Product overview

Sun Valley Rice is a vertically integrated rice processing company offering superior and innovative rice products, food services, and solutions. The company operates as part of A LaGrande Family Foods Company and offers multiple house brands including Gen-Ji-Mai (premium whole grain brown rice), Daichi (medium grain and sweet rice), and Planet Rice. Core services include proprietary sprouting services (through Valley Select Ingredients), custom packaging from 1 lb to 1 metric ton, state-of-the-art milling exceeding USDA standards, private label options, global logistics to six continents, sake milling with specialized Japanese equipment, and rice-based ingredients for food manufacturers including broken rice, rice hulls, and raw bran. The company sources from family farms within 100 miles of their mill in Arbuckle, California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Planet Rice: House brand label for Sun Valley Rice products.
• Gen-Ji-Mai
• Daichi

Products and services

• Gen-Ji-Mai Premium Nutri Whole Grain Brown Rice Premium Nutri Whole Grain brown rice created through a proprietary technique that makes rice more permeable to water while retaining nutrients, resulting in quick-cooking brown rice with superior taste and 64% more fiber than white rice. Sold under the Gen-Ji-Mai brand to health-conscious retail consumers.
• Daichi Rice Sun Valley Rice house brand milled to exacting specifications, featuring the highest quality Medium Grain, Premium Medium Grain, and Calmochi (sweet rice). Shipped domestically and worldwide for use in restaurants and retail markets.
• Planet Rice Sprouted California Brown Rice House brand label including Planet Rice sprouted California brown rice. Winner of Delicious Living Magazine's 'Best Whole Grain' award in 2015.
• Valley Select Ingredients Sprouted Rice Service Cutting-edge sprouted rice processing and ingredient service using proprietary germinating technology. Serves commercial kitchens, brands, and food manufacturers needing consistently sprouted rice for use in power bars, flour, crackers, cereal, rice milk, and more. Operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Sun Valley Rice.
• Toll Sprouting Services Proprietary sprouting method producing superior texture, flavor, and nutrition using a fully enclosed stainless-steel pneumatic loop system. The largest and most advanced sprouting facility in Northern California; sprouts medium-grain, short-grain, long-grain, jasmine, basmati, and specialty rice varieties for customers.
• Rice Milling Services State-of-the-art milling and drying with double-pass Shanzer drying, Kapika dry polisher, and color sorters. Milling standards exceed USDA requirements and the facility is FSSC 22000 certified.
• Japanese Sake Rice Milling Services Specialized Japanese sake rice milling for breweries ranging from large industrial producers to small craft micro-brewers. Capabilities include Junmai (70% polished), Ginjo (60% polished), and Daiginjo (50% polished) with organic options available.
• Custom Rice Packaging Services Custom packaging facility accommodating requests from 1 to 2,000 pounds or 1 metric ton. Includes multi-wall paper bags (5-50 lb), polyethylene bags (4.4-40 lb), polypropylene bags (10-50 lb), polyethylene Form & Fill film bags (1-5 lb), and bulk bags (2,200 lb / 1 metric ton).
• Private Label Rice Manufacturing In-house private label rice products with marketing support for retailers, distributors, and brand owners. Specializations include ethnically diversified rice markets, industrial account processing, estate micro-farmed rice, and eco-friendly rice. Includes labeling and packaging flexibility.
• Global Rice Logistics and Distribution Global logistics reaching six continents and over 50 countries. Services include containerized shipping, bulk truck, bulk hopper railcars, bulk container loading, and standard palletized loads, with a UK sales office supporting Europe and Africa.
• Rice-Based Food Ingredients (Broken Rice, Rice Hulls, Raw Bran) Industrial rice ingredients for food manufacturers. Broken rice is supplied for cereals, rice flour, pet foods, beer, sake, or vinegar fermentation; rice hulls serve as a natural anti-caking agent; raw bran is also supplied.

Quantifiable outcome

• Mill internal grading specifications exceed U.S. No. 1 rice and international requirements including domestic Japanese standards.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• China Rice TradeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 July 2019Sun Valley Rice became the first US company to export rice to China, marking a historic breakthrough in US-China rice trade. The company sold Calrose medium-grain rice to Chinese buyers under a groundbreaking agreement.
• LaGrande Family Foods GroupcoreOthersSun Valley Rice is A LaGrande Family Foods Company. The parent company encompasses multiple food brands and operations with the LaGrande family maintaining five generations of rice farming heritage.
• USA Rice FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSun Valley Rice participates in USA Rice Committee on Regulatory Affairs and Food Safety. The company co-hosted foodservice farm and mill tours with USA Rice for industry professionals.
• California Rice CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSun Valley Rice collaborates with the California Rice Commission on sustainability metrics and industry standards. The company sources from the Sacramento Valley rice-growing region represented by the commission.
• California Certified Organic FarmersminorOthersOrganic and Non-GMO certification partnership for organic rice products.
• Gluten Intolerance GroupminorOthersGluten-Free certification partnership for celiac-safe rice products.
• Oldways Whole Grains CouncilminorOthersWhole Grain certification for products like Gen-Ji-Mai brown rice.
• Orthodox Rabbinic CouncilminorOthersKosher certification for rice products.
• California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)coreOthersSun Valley Rice actively advocates for regenerative agriculture standards with the CDFA. General Counsel Christine Birdsong was appointed to Undersecretary of CDFA in 2021.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Riceland Foods: Largest US rice miller and marketer, operating as a farmer-owned cooperative. Directly comparable to Sun Valley Rice as a vertically integrated rice processor with branded products, private label capabilities, and ingredient sales serving food manufacturers and foodservice.
• Lundberg Family Farms: California-based family-owned organic and whole grain rice producer with similar premium positioning, sustainability focus, and direct-to-consumer retail presence. Both companies emphasize heritage, organic certification, and farm-to-package traceability from Sacramento Valley rice.
• Producers Rice Mill: Major US rice miller based in Arkansas providing milled rice, rice ingredients, and private label services to food manufacturers and retailers. Comparable as a domestic rice processor with B2B ingredient supply and bulk packaging capabilities.
• SunRice: Australia's largest rice processor and one of the world's leading branded rice companies. Comparable as a vertically integrated rice company with branded consumer products, food ingredient supply, and global export reach across multiple continents.
• Doguet's Rice Milling Company: Texas-based family-owned rice miller with specialty rice varieties and private label capabilities. Comparable as a mid-sized regional rice processor serving both branded consumer markets and B2B food manufacturers with milled rice products.
• California Family Foods: California-based rice marketing and processing cooperative serving Northern California rice growers. Directly comparable as a Sacramento Valley rice processor with similar sourcing geography and supply relationships with family rice farms.
• Hinode Rice: US-based rice company specializing in Japanese-style rice varieties including Koshihikari and sushi rice for retail and foodservice. Comparable to Sun Valley's Daichi brand positioning in premium Japanese rice varieties for the US market.

Broad incumbents

• Riviana Foods (Mahatma Rice): Major US rice brand owned by Ebro Foods, marketing Mahatma, Success, and Carolina brands. Comparable as a branded rice supplier to retail and foodservice channels, though operating at significantly larger scale across a broader geographic footprint.
• Archer Daniels Midland (ADM): Global agricultural processor with rice milling operations and broad food ingredient portfolio. Comparable as a supplier of rice ingredients and milled rice to food manufacturers, though operating at vastly larger scale across many commodity categories.

Regional players

• Veetee Rice: UK-based rice company with branded microwave rice and specialty rice products distributed globally. Comparable as a branded specialty rice supplier with international distribution, though primarily serving European retail channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=NDEgas0vueA
• Xx.com/SunValleyRice

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Sun Valley Rice