Koda Farms

What Koda Farms does

Koda Farms is a family-owned rice producer and miller headquartered in South Dos Palos, California, operating since 1928. The company cultivates, processes, and markets a portfolio of premium Japanese-style rice and rice flour products under four registered trademarks: Kokuho Rose® (a proprietary medium grain rice introduced in 1962 as the first premium domestic medium grain variety), Sho-Chiku-Bai® (sweet rice introduced in 1948), Blue Star® Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour, and Diamond K®. Its core technology is vertically integrated rice farming, drying, milling, and selective breeding — including pioneering aerial seeding techniques in California — with proprietary rice strains developed over multi-decade breeding programs. The company pioneered the American sweet rice and rice flour category by becoming the first commercial sweet rice grower in California in the late 1940s.

Koda Farms generates revenue through two streams: branded product sales (rice and rice flour sold through grocery retail, specialty food retailers, and farmers markets including Santa Monica Farmers Market) and trademark licensing. Following a 2024 restructuring, the company designated Western Foods of Woodland, California as its '4th generation' production partner, licensing the Koda Farms trademarks for continued manufacturing while Koda Farms retains brand ownership and product approval rights. This transition ended 97 years of direct hands-on farming at the original South Dos Palos homestead and introduced a new Koda Farms® GF (gluten-free) product line leveraging Western Foods' capabilities as a leading gluten-free ingredient supplier.

The company serves three primary customer segments: discerning Japanese American and broader Asian American retail consumers seeking traditional Japanese rice varieties; food manufacturers and bakeries (including Third Culture Bakery, Porridge + Puffs, and Sqirl) using Mochiko and rice products for mochi, baking, and frozen-food applications; and restaurants specializing in Asian cuisine and artisanal cooking. The company is currently in its third generation of family management, with siblings Ross and Robin Koda operating the business, and has cultivated substantial earned media presence across major food publications. No funding rounds, institutional investment, or revenue figures are disclosed.

Name

Koda Farms

Legal name

Koda Farms, Inc.

Website

https://kodafarms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1928

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Koda Farms is a 97-year-old family-owned California rice producer and miller selling proprietary Kokuho Rose rice, Sho-Chiku-Bai sweet rice, and Blue Star Mochiko flour to Japanese American consumers, specialty bakeries, and food manufacturers, with production now licensed to Western Foods.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Rice and Rice Flour

NAICS

Rice Farming (11116), Rice Milling (311212)

SIC

Grain Mill Products (2040), Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Rice Farming (AFAGAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Specialty rice products
• Japanese rice varieties
• Sweet rice flour
• Heirloom rice breeding
• Gluten-free rice ingredients

Headquarters

HQ city

South Dos Palos

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Rice Product Sales: Sale of branded rice products including Kokuho Rose, Sho-Chiku-Bai, and Blue Star Mochiko through retail and direct channels.
2. Trademark Licensing: Licensing of Koda Farms trademarked products to Western Foods for continued production under the Koda Farms brand name.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Koda Farms produces and sells premium Japanese-style rice and rice flour products under proprietary trademarks including Kokuho Rose medium grain rice, Sho-Chiku-Bai sweet rice, and Blue Star Mochiko sweet rice flour. The company operates as a vertically integrated rice farm and mill, controlling quality from proprietary seed breeding through milling and packaging. Following the 2024 partnership transition, production is now handled by Western Foods in Woodland, California while Koda Farms retains brand ownership and licensing rights.

Product overview

Koda Farms is a vertically integrated rice farm and mill established in 1928, producing a portfolio of premium rice and rice flour products under several trademarked brands. The core product lineup includes Kokuho Rose® (premium medium grain rice), Sho-Chiku-Bai® (sweet rice), Blue Star® Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour, and Diamond K® branded products. After 97 years of hands-on family operation in South Dos Palos, California, Koda Farms has partnered with Western Foods of Woodland, California to continue production while expanding into gluten-free product lines under the Koda Farms brand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kokuho Rose Premium medium grain rice and proprietary heirloom strain developed by Koda Farms. It has become established as the favorite of Japanese Americans throughout the country and is valued as a high-quality table rice for traditional Japanese cuisine preparation.
• Sho-Chiku-Bai Sweet Rice Sweet rice variety introduced in 1948. Developed under the direction of Keisaburo Koda, it became the basis for the American market for sweet rice and its flour. Used as a premium ingredient for traditional Japanese dishes and mochi production.
• Blue Star Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour Sweet rice flour milled from Sho-Chiku-Bai sweet rice, presented in iconic one-pound upright boxes. Valued as an innovative thickening agent with superior freezing properties for food manufacturing, used in mochi production, baking, and frozen food applications.
• Diamond K Trademarked rice brand continuing the Koda Farms tradition of quality and consistency under the new partnership with Western Foods.
• Koda Farms GF Products

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Western FoodscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2024Koda Farms designated Western Foods of Yolo County, California as their '4th generation' partner to carry forward production of iconic rice products. Western Foods is a family-owned and operated entity led by Miguel Reyna, owner/CEO. The partnership involves licensing of Koda Farms trademarked products (Kokuho Rose, Sho-Chiku-Bai, Blue Star Brand Mochiko, Diamond K) while Koda Farms retains ownership and approval rights. Western Foods operates a state-of-the-art facility in Woodland, California.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bob's Red Mill: Large specialty flour and grain milling company with strong gluten-free product line. Comparable to Koda Farms' Blue Star Mochiko and new Koda Farms® GF product line as a specialty/gluten-free flour brand, though at significantly larger scale and broader category reach.
• Nishiki Premium Rice (JFC International): JFC International's flagship Japanese rice brand, the dominant mass-market premium Japanese rice in U.S. retail. Comparable to Koda Farms as a competing Japanese rice brand, though JFC is a much larger conglomerate with broader product portfolio and distribution.

Direct peers

• Lundberg Family Farms: California-based family-owned rice farm and mill producing conventional and organic rice products. Directly comparable to Koda Farms as another multi-generational California rice brand with vertically integrated farming, milling, and branded retail distribution.
• SunWest Foods: California rice miller and marketer producing branded medium grain and specialty rice products. Comparable to Koda Farms as a domestic California rice processor serving both retail and food manufacturing channels.
• RiceSelect: Premium rice brand offering specialty rice varieties including jasmine, basmati, and arborio. Comparable to Koda Farms as a branded specialty rice marketer competing in the premium rice segment of U.S. retail.
• Tamanishiki Rice: Premium Japanese-style rice brand distributed in North America. Comparable to Koda Farms' Kokuho Rose as a competing premium medium grain rice SKU aimed at discerning consumers seeking authentic Japanese rice characteristics.
• Botan Calrose Rice: California-grown Calrose medium grain rice brand with significant Asian American market presence. Comparable to Koda Farms as a California-based rice brand targeting Japanese American consumers with medium grain varieties.
• Hinode Rice: Marketer of premium Japanese-style rice varieties in the U.S. market, including California-grown medium grain rice. Comparable to Koda Farms as a direct competitor in the Japanese-style rice category targeting Asian American consumers.

Regional players

• Three Ladies Brand (Vietnam): Premium Asian rice brand with strong brand identity and heritage positioning in Asian markets. Comparable to Koda Farms as another heritage Asian rice brand with a focused premium positioning, though primarily distributed in Southeast Asian markets rather than U.S. retail.

Others

• Calrose Rice (California Rice Commission): Industry body representing California rice growers producing Calrose and other medium grain varieties. Comparable to Koda Farms as a domestic California rice industry context, though it is a trade association rather than a commercial peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Koda Farms