Inland Empire Foods

What Inland Empire Foods does

Inland Empire Foods is a privately held, family-owned B2B manufacturer of legume ingredients, founded in 1985 and operating from plants in Riverside, California and Oregon. The company produces precooked and dried beans, peas, and lentils in whole-bean (5–20 minute cook time), flake, and flour formats, with a product line spanning Black Beans, Garbanzo, Kidney, Navy, Pinto, Red, Pink, Brewer Lentils, Yellow Peas, and specialty varieties. Its processing technology is patented and supported by proprietary in-house equipment design that enables customer-specific customization of flavor, color, and texture across the portfolio.

The business model is sales-led and direct: products are manufactured to order with a 3–4 week lead time, and orders are captured through toll-free and direct phone lines, sample-request workflows, and website contact forms. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and there is no evidence of digital marketing or third-party distribution. Customers are split across a primary segment (food manufacturers incorporating legume ingredients into finished products) and an emerging institutional segment (K-12 school meal programs served through food service operators such as Sodexo via the GroundPro lentil-crumble plant-based meat alternative). The company holds Kosher, Organic (contractual), Non-GMO, and SQF certifications across both plants.

Operationally, Inland Empire Foods is a multi-generational family business: food-processing expertise in the Sterner family dates to 1932 under the Sterner Special Foods banner, and the firm today is run by grandchildren and great-grandchildren of founder Matthew Sterner. The company has 11–50 employees, no external funding or parent company, and a stated global reach. Recent strategic activity includes a low-emissions Combined Heat and Power (CHP) investment at its California facility and a product/channel push into plant-based meat alternatives for institutional food service.

Name

Inland Empire Foods

Legal name

Inland Empire Foods INC.

Website

https://inlandempirefoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Inland Empire Foods is a private, family-owned B2B manufacturer of precooked and dried legume ingredients (beans, peas, lentils) in whole-bean, flake, and flour formats, serving food manufacturers and institutional food service customers globally since 1985.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legume Ingredients Manufacturing

NAICS

Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing (311423), Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)

akta.pro primary industry

Dried & Dehydrated Foods Manufacturing (AFAKACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Canned Beans, Legumes & Pulses Manufacturing (AFAKACAC), Finished Meat-Alternative Prepared Foods (Nuggets, Burgers, Sausages, Ready Meals) (AFANAKAO)

Keywords

• Legume ingredients
• Precooked legumes
• Dried beans
• Plant-based ingredients
• Food ingredient manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Riverside

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, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Legume Ingredient Manufacturing: B2B manufacturing and sale of legume ingredients (beans, peas, lentils) to food manufacturers in various forms (whole beans, flakes, flours). Products are manufactured to order with 3-4 week lead time.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Inland Empire Foods manufactures precooked and dried legume ingredients (beans, peas, and lentils) in multiple forms including whole beans (5-20 minute cook time), flakes, and flours for food manufacturers worldwide. The company also produces GroundPro™, a plant-based whole lentil crumble meat alternative designed for institutional food service and K-12 school meal programs. All products are all-natural, non-GMO, kosher certified, and available as organic on a contractual basis.

Product overview

Inland Empire Foods is a legume ingredient manufacturer founded in 1985, producing precooked and dried legume ingredients (beans, peas, and lentils) in various forms including flakes, flours, and whole beans. Their core product line includes Black Beans, Black-eyed Peas, Garbanzo Beans, Great Northern Beans, Kidney Beans, Brewer Lentils, Navy Beans, Split Green Peas, Yellow Peas, Pink Beans, Pinto Beans, Red Beans, and specialty varieties. They also offer GroundPro™, a plant-based whole lentil crumble meat alternative for school meals and institutional food service. All products are all-natural, non-GMO, and kosher certified, with organic options available on a contractual basis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Precooked and Dried Legume Ingredients (Beans, Peas, Lentils) Precooked and dried legume ingredients manufactured for food manufacturers worldwide, available in 5-20 minute whole bean, flake, and flour forms. Product line includes Black Beans, Black-eyed Peas, Garbanzo Beans, Great Northern Beans, Kidney Beans, Brewer Lentils, Navy Beans, Split Green Peas, Whole and Split Yellow Peas, Pink Beans, Pinto Beans, Red Beans, and specialty varieties such as Adzuki Beans, Canario Beans, and Pigeon Peas. All products are all-natural, kosher, non-GMO, and contain no chemicals or additives, with organic available on a contractual basis.
• GroundPro™ Plant-Based Whole Lentil Crumble

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces labor cost with quick and easy preparation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SodexocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSodexo is a major food service provider using Inland Empire Foods' GroundPro meat alternative product in K-12 school menus across multiple locations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ingredion: Major global ingredient solutions provider including plant-based proteins from peas and other pulses, serving food and beverage manufacturers. Broad incumbent with pulse processing capabilities that overlap with IEF's customer base.
• Cargill: Global agribusiness and food ingredient company with extensive plant-based protein and pulse processing capabilities. Broad incumbent serving CPG and food service customers with overlapping pulse ingredient offerings.
• ADM (Archer Daniels Midland): Global food processing and commodity trading major with significant pulse and plant protein capabilities serving food manufacturers worldwide. Massive incumbent that competes on scale, breadth, and supply chain integration.
• Roquette: Global leader in plant-based ingredients including pea protein, starches, and polyols for food and nutrition markets. Broad incumbent serving many of the same food manufacturer customers with overlapping pulse-based product lines.

Direct peers

• Best Cooking Pulses: Canadian processor of pulse ingredients (peas, lentils, chickpeas, beans) into whole, split, flaked, and flour forms for food manufacturers. Most direct comparable — similar specialty B2B pulse ingredient manufacturer with comparable product format customization.
• Emsland Group: German-based processor of potato, pea, and other plant-based ingredients including proteins, starches, and fibers for food industry customers. Comparable specialty pulse ingredient manufacturer with global B2B reach.
• SunOpta: Plant-based and fruit-based ingredient company producing plant protein concentrates, fruit purees, and ingredients for food and beverage manufacturers. Direct competitor in plant-based ingredients with pulse-based offerings serving food service and CPG channels.
• Cosucra: Belgian producer of pea and chicory-based ingredients (proteins, fibers, flours) for food applications. Direct peer in pulse-based ingredient manufacturing with comparable B2B specialty ingredients business model.
• Avena Foods: Canadian supplier of clean-label pulse-based ingredients (pea, lentil, oat) for food manufacturers, including flours, flakes, and crisps. Direct comparable in pulse ingredient processing for B2B customers with similar clean-label positioning.

Others

• The Scoular Company: Commodity merchandising and ingredient supplier with significant pulse and specialty crop handling operations. Adjacent comparator — operates more in grain/ingredient trading and storage than custom processing, but is a meaningful supply-chain peer in the pulse ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inland-empire-foods-inc

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Inland Empire Foods