Rhino Foods

What Rhino Foods does

Rhino Foods, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned B2B ingredient manufacturer founded in 1981 in Burlington, Vermont, specializing in ready-to-eat cookie dough and baked brownie/cake inclusions for the commercial frozen-dessert industry. The company reportedly invented ready-to-eat cookie dough for ice cream use approximately 30 years ago and is credited as the birthplace of Ben & Jerry's cookie dough ice cream. Its product portfolio comprises three core lines: bulk-packaged ready-to-eat cookie dough in multiple shapes, sizes, flavors, and coatings; baked brownie and cake pieces; and a co-pack pouching line producing retail-ready snackable pouches for CPG brands. Manufacturing is conducted at a BRCGS-certified Burlington facility that uses pasteurized eggs, heat-treated flour, and extensive micro-testing to meet commercial food-safety standards.

The company sells primarily through a direct sales team to ice cream manufacturers (25,000 lb/year minimum), with national distributors handling accounts below the direct threshold (15,000 lb/year minimum), and a co-pack arrangement serving CPG brands (30,000-pouch minimum). Pricing is quote-based and negotiated per customer across formulation, volume, and customization requirements, with multi-year contracts on the direct channel. Beyond its core ingredient business, Rhino operates a Certified B Corp identity built around innovative workplace practices — including an Income Advance Program (since 2007, partnered with North Country Federal Credit Union), an Employee Exchange Program, a Recovery-Friendly Workplace, and on-site recovery coaching via Turning Point Center — that have been exported to 50+ other employers.

The business is led by Rooney Castle, who succeeded founder Ted Castle as President & CEO in January 2023 after joining on the production floor in 2011. Headcount is reported at 51–100 employees (with some shift-level references suggesting 100+), operations are concentrated in Burlington and a Williston distribution warehouse, and the company has no disclosed institutional investors, parent entity, or subsidiaries.

Name

Rhino Foods

Legal name

Rhino Foods, Inc.

Website

https://rhinofoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Rhino Foods is a Burlington, Vermont-based B2B manufacturer of ready-to-eat cookie dough and baked inclusions sold to ice cream manufacturers, food distributors, quick-serve restaurants, and CPG brands, operating from a BRCGS-certified facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ice Cream Inclusions

NAICS

Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing (311821), Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing (311412)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050), Cookies & Crackers (2052)

akta.pro primary industry

Frozen Bakery Products Manufacturing (AFAKAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Refrigerated & Frozen Doughs and Batters Manufacturing (AFAKACAM)

Keywords

• Ready-to-eat cookie dough
• Ice cream inclusions
• Baked brownie pieces
• Co-manufacturing pouching
• Frozen dessert ingredients

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. B2B Ingredient Sales (Ice Cream Inclusions): Rhino Foods manufactures and sells bulk-packaged ready-to-eat cookie dough and baked brownie/cake pieces to ice cream manufacturers, retail ice cream shops, and quick-serve restaurants. Products are sold by the pallet with minimum annual order requirements (25,000 lb minimum/year direct from Rhino; 15,000 lb minimum/year from distributor). Revenue is generated through product sales with pricing based on formulation, size, volume, and customization requirements. This is the primary revenue stream.
2. Co-Pack Pouching Services: Rhino Foods provides custom co-manufacturing and co-packing services, producing cookie dough and baked pieces in pouches with customer brand packaging. Minimum run of 30,000 pouches per order. Revenue generated through manufacturing fees and formulation customization charges.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rhino Foods manufactures and sells bulk-packaged, frozen ready-to-eat cookie dough and baked brownie/cake inclusion pieces for commercial use by ice cream manufacturers, retail ice cream shops, and quick-serve restaurants. The company also offers co-pack pouching services, producing retail-ready snackable cookie dough and baked pieces under customer brands. Products are made in a BRC-certified Burlington, Vermont facility with pasteurized eggs and heat-treated flour for ready-to-eat food safety.

Product overview

Rhino Foods is a B2B ingredient supplier specializing in frozen dessert inclusions, operating as a single-product portfolio company with three core offerings. The main product line consists of Ready-to-Eat Cookie Dough (bulk-packaged extruded dough in various flavors, sizes, and coatings for ice cream manufacturing), Baked Brownie & Cake Pieces (textured baked inclusions for frozen desserts), and Co-Pack Food Pouching (retail-ready packaged cookie dough and baked pieces). All products are designed for commercial frozen food applications and are manufactured in Burlington, Vermont with BRC certification and rigorous food safety protocols.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ready-to-Eat Cookie Dough Frozen, bulk-packaged ready-to-eat cookie dough inclusions designed for commercial use in ice cream manufacturing, retail ice cream shops, and quick-serve restaurants. Available in multiple flavors (Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, Brownie, Sugar Cookie, Graham, Cookies and Cream, Churro), shapes (cylinders and cubes), sizes (1/4" x 1/4" to 1/2" x 3/8"; 4/16" to 5/16" cubes), and coatings (corn starch, tapioca flour, rice flour, silicon dioxide).
• Baked Brownie & Cake Pieces

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 500 Rhino Foods employees accessed approximately $500,000 in emergency funding through the Income Advance Program since 2007.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, core and minor.

• Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR)supportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 December 2025Rhino Foods is a Champion Member of VBSR, a Vermont-based business association focused on social responsibility and sustainable business practices. Membership provides networking, advocacy, and recognition opportunities within Vermont's B Corp and values-driven business community.
• Turning Point CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2020Rhino Foods partnered with Burlington-based Turning Point Center to provide on-site Recovery Coaching for employees dealing with substance abuse and recovery issues. A Recovery Coach from Turning Point Center is present at Rhino's Crash Cafe twice a week during shift change, offering confidential support, resources, and harm reduction guidance. This initiative addresses employee wellbeing and retention by providing convenient access to recovery support at the workplace.
• Talent RewireminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Rhino Foods partnered with Talent Rewire to support scaling the Income Advance Program to a 2,000-employee national clothing manufacturer. This partnership extends the reach of Rhino's workplace financial wellness innovation beyond the company itself.
• Working BridgessupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Rhino Foods hosts a Working Bridges Resource Coordinator who helps employees connect with local resources for housing, childcare, elder care, and mental health. This partnership provides employees with wraparound support services without requiring time off work.
• North Country Federal Credit UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Rhino Foods partners with North Country Federal Credit Union to offer the Income Advance Program to all employees. The program provides same-day access to $1,000 in emergency funds, repaid through weekly payroll deductions. This partnership enables Rhino to provide a financial wellness benefit to employees while the credit union originates loans. The program has helped over 500 employees access approximately $500,000 in emergency funding since 2007. The program has been so successful that Rhino has shared it with over 50 other companies.
• Injury & Health Management Solutions (IHMS)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Rhino Foods partners with Williston-based IHMS to provide on-site Preventative Body Maintenance services. IHMS sends a rotating team three days a week to offer ergonomic assessments, injury prevention guidance, and physical therapy consultations. The partnership helps reduce workplace injuries and supports employee wellbeing by addressing physical concerns before they become impediments to productivity.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Pillsbury (General Mills): Iconic refrigerated cookie dough brand owned by General Mills, sold primarily through retail. Comparable product category (cookie dough) but broad incumbent distribution at retail scale rather than the B2B inclusion focus of Rhino.
• The Hershey Company: Major chocolate and confectionery manufacturer whose products (Reese's, Hershey's Kisses) are widely embedded as ice cream inclusions. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose branded candy pieces compete for inclusion slots inside ice cream products.
• Rich Products Corporation: Major frozen bakery products manufacturer for foodservice and in-store bakery, including cookie dough, brownie, and cake products. Comparable as a larger incumbent offering overlapping frozen baked inclusions but across a much broader foodservice portfolio than Rhino's ice cream specialization.
• Mondelez International: Global snacks giant whose cookie brands (Oreo, Chips Ahoy!, Tate's) and bakery portfolio overlap with the inclusions Rhino supplies. Comparable as a large incumbent capable of supplying its own cookie pieces for ice cream collaborations rather than buying from Rhino.
• Bimbo Bakeries USA: Largest bakery company in the US (part of Grupo Bimbo) producing breads, buns, cookies, and snack cakes under multiple brands. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping frozen and shelf-stable baked goods capabilities and large-scale distribution relationships with the same retail customers Rhino supplies via distributors.
• Nestlé USA (Dreyer's): Largest ice cream manufacturer in the US via Dreyer's/Edy's and a major consumer of inclusions including cookie dough, candy pieces, and baked goods. Comparable as both a customer archetype and an in-house competitor with the scale to insource ingredient manufacturing.
• Mars Wrigley: Global confectionery manufacturer (M&M's, Snickers, Twix) whose chocolate and candy pieces are widely used as ice cream inclusions. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering branded inclusions that compete with Rhino's baked inclusions in ice cream manufacturer portfolios.

Direct peers

• Otis Spunkmeyer: Established cookie dough manufacturer focused on foodservice and bakery channels, supplying bulk cookie dough to operators and bakeries. Comparable as a direct competitor in commercial cookie dough with overlapping foodservice customers and similar product format (bulk-packaged dough).
• Bridgford Foods Corporation: Publicly traded manufacturer of frozen dough products (bread, rolls, cookies) sold through foodservice and retail channels. Direct peer in frozen dough manufacturing with similar B2B sales model into foodservice distributors and retail customers.
• Pecan Deluxe Candy Company: Dallas-based manufacturer of candy and baked inclusions specifically for the ice cream industry, including brownie pieces, variegates, and specialty inclusions. Closest comparable peer because it competes head-to-head with Rhino for ice cream manufacturer accounts using similar bulk-packaged, frozen, food-safe formats.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/rhinofoodsinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/202852949741854
• Instagraminstagram.com/rhinofoods
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rhino-foods-inc.

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Rhino Foods