Hinode
Hinode is a US packaged rice brand operated by SunFoods, LLC that sells dry rice varieties and ready-to-heat microwaveable rice products through major US retailers including Walmart, Target, and Safeway, serving home cooks and families.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1934
- HeadquartersWoodland, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Hinode does
Hinode is a US-focused packaged rice brand operated by SunFoods, LLC, a California-incorporated LLC headquartered in Woodland in the Sacramento Valley. The company produces and sells a broad portfolio of dry rice varieties — Jasmine, Basmati, Calrose (white and brown), Extra Long Grain White, Black, Low GI, White & Wild, Sprouted Brown, and the Calrose Plus+ Blend — in pack sizes ranging from 1lb to 50lb. It also operates a ready-to-heat line of 2-minute microwaveable rice trays (White, Jasmine, Brown) and flavored single-serve rice cups (Special Fried Rice, Garlic Herb & Butter, Spanish Style), positioning the brand across both everyday cooking and convenience-meal occasions.
The company manufactures at its Kentucky Avenue Mill facility in Woodland, CA, and sources internationally through an affiliation with SunRice (headquartered in Sydney, Australia), giving it access to multiple rice-growing regions including the Himalayan foothills for Basmati. Technology is conventional CPG manufacturing and packaging, with no disclosed proprietary technology beyond standard rice processing. The company maintains no app, no API, and no AI/ML capabilities; its primary digital asset is a 120+ recipe database and Rice 101 education content used for content marketing and SEO.
Hinode makes money through unit-priced retail CPG sales, with products available through major US supermarket chains (Walmart, Target, Safeway) both in-store and online. Pricing is not publicly disclosed but follows standard mass-market CPG unit pricing across package sizes. Customer segments include home cooks and families (primary), health-conscious consumers, and time-pressed consumers. The brand is privately held under SunFoods, LLC, and no revenue, funding, or M&A activity is publicly disclosed.
Hinode firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hinode
- Legal name
- SunFoods, LLC
- Website
- https://hinoderice.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1934
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Hinode is a US packaged rice brand operated by SunFoods, LLC that sells dry rice varieties and ready-to-heat microwaveable rice products through major US retailers including Walmart, Target, and Safeway, serving home cooks and families.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hinode industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Packaged Rice Products
- NAICS
- Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing (311423)
- SIC
- Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Rice Cakes & Grain Snack Manufacturing (AFAKAIAK)
Keywords
Where Hinode is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Woodland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Hinode business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Consumer Packaged Goods (Rice Products): Hinode generates revenue through the sale of packaged rice products to consumers via retail grocery channels. Products include dry rice varieties (Jasmine, Basmati, Calrose, Long Grain, Brown, Black, Low GI, White & Wild) sold in various pack sizes (1lb to 50lb), and ready-to-heat microwaveable rice products in trays (10.6oz) and cups (8.8oz).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Various rice varieties and formats available in multiple package sizes |
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Hinode product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hinode is a packaged rice brand operated by SunFoods, LLC that produces, distributes, and markets dry rice varieties (including Jasmine, Basmati, Calrose, Long Grain, Brown, Black, Low GI, and White & Wild blends) alongside a line of ready-to-heat microwaveable rice products for U.S. consumers. The brand sells its products through major supermarket chains (Walmart, Target, Safeway) and online grocery retailers, supported by a 120+ recipe database to drive at-home usage.
Product overview
Hinode is a rice company that offers a diverse portfolio of rice products organized into three main categories: everyday rice varieties (including Calrose Medium Grain, Low GI White, Extra Long Grain White, Fragrant Jasmine, Fragrant Basmati, Black Rice, White & Wild Rice, and Calrose Plus+ Blend), whole grain and specialty brown rice options (Calrose Medium Whole Grain Brown Rice, Sprouted Brown Calrose Rice), and a ready-to-heat product line (2 Minute Rice Trays in White, Jasmine, and Brown varieties, plus flavored rice cups including Special Fried Rice, Garlic Herb & Butter, and Spanish Style). The company also provides rice cooking education through recipes and instructional content. Hinode is based in the Central Valley of California and is owned by SunFoods LLC.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Calrose Plus+ Blend: A blend of soft and sticky white rice with the nutritional benefits of wholegrain brown rice and vitamin enrichment.
- Hinode Special Fried Rice Cups
- Hinode Garlic Herb & Butter Flavored Rice Cups
- Hinode Spanish Style Rice Cups
- 2 Minute Rice Trays Microwavable Jasmine Rice
- 2 Minute Rice Trays Microwavable Brown Rice
- 2 Minute Rice Trays Microwavable White Rice
- Low GI White Rice
- Calrose Medium Grain White Rice
- Fragrant Jasmine Rice
- Fragrant Basmati Rice
- Black Rice
- Calrose Medium Whole Grain Brown Rice
- Sprouted Brown Calrose Rice
- Hinode Extra Long Grain White Rice
- White & Wild Rice
Products and services
- Hinode Dry Rice Varieties
- Hinode Ready-to-Heat Rice
Companies that use Hinode
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Hinode technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Hinode partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- SunFoods, LLCcoreHinode is a brand operated by SunFoods, LLC. SunFoods is headquartered in Woodland, California in the Central Valley where rice has been produced for over 100 years. The company offers both domestic and imported rice varieties through the Hinode brand.
- SunRicecoreSunRice is an international partner headquartered in Sydney, Australia. Hinode operates as part of the SunRice network of rice brands with international partners in rice growing regions around the world.
- WalmartmajorWalmart is a major retail distribution partner for Hinode rice products, available for purchase both in-store and online through Walmart.com.
- TargetmajorTarget is a major retail distribution partner for Hinode rice products, available for purchase both in-store and online through Target.com.
- SafewaymajorSafeway is a retail distribution partner for Hinode rice products.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hinode competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- RiceSelect (Riviana Foods): RiceSelect (Texmati) is a premium specialty rice brand offering jasmine, basmati, and wild blends in similar retail channels. It directly overlaps with Hinode's premium specialty SKUs (Basmati, White & Wild, Calrose Plus+) and competes for the same health- and quality-oriented grocery shopper.
- Lundberg Family Farms: Lundberg is a California-based specialty rice producer with a focus on organic, whole-grain, and sustainable rice. It directly competes with Hinode's whole-grain, sprouted brown, and Black Rice SKUs in the natural/specialty aisle and overlaps with Hinode's California-sourced positioning.
- Carolina Rice: Carolina is a heritage US rice brand selling long grain white rice in the same supermarket channels. It competes with Hinode's Extra Long Grain and Calrose SKUs for the same everyday family-cooking use case at comparable price tiers.
- Mahatma Rice (Riviana Foods): Mahatma is a US-focused rice brand selling jasmine, basmati, and long/medium grain rice through similar grocery channels. It is one of Hinode's closest direct competitors in the everyday rice aisle with overlapping SKUs and distribution, and operates at a comparable mid-tier positioning.
- Marketside / Sam's Choice (Walmart Private Label): Walmart's private-label rice brands (Marketside for ready-to-heat, Great Value for dry) compete directly with Hinode within Walmart stores. They pressure Hinode on shelf placement, slotting fees, and price, and represent the most direct channel-internal competitive threat to Hinode's biggest retail partner.
- Seeds of Change (Mars, Inc.): Seeds of Change is a Mars-owned ready-to-heat rice and grains brand with organic positioning sold at Walmart, Target, and natural channels. It directly competes with Hinode's ready-to-heat rice trays and cups in the convenience/healthy rice meal segment at the same retailers.
- Minute Rice (Kraft Heinz): Minute Rice is the US category leader in instant/quick-cook rice sold at the same major retailers. It directly competes with Hinode's 2 Minute Rice Trays and microwavable rice cups in the convenience-rice segment, and has the scale and budget to defend share aggressively.
- Trader Joe's Rice (Private Label): Trader Joe's sells private-label jasmine, basmati, brown, and ready-to-heat rice at competitive prices in its US stores. It competes head-on with Hinode at the value tier across similar rice varieties, capturing price-sensitive shoppers in a grocery-channel alternative.
Broad incumbents
- Ben's Original (Mars, Inc.): Ben's Original is the dominant US shelf-stable rice brand with broad SKU coverage and major marketing budgets. It directly competes with Hinode's everyday white and flavored rice SKUs at Walmart, Target, and other major retailers, and is the share leader of the category in which Hinode competes.
Regional players
- Tilda Rice: Tilda is a UK/India-origin premium basmati brand with growing US distribution. It overlaps with Hinode's Fragrant Basmati SKU in the specialty/premium tier and targets similar international cuisine occasions, but is primarily a UK/Middle East/India brand with selective US presence.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Hinode social profiles
Digital presenceHinode financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hinode leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Hinode funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hinode M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hinode
What does Hinode do?
Hinode is a packaged rice brand operated by SunFoods, LLC that produces, distributes, and markets dry rice varieties (including Jasmine, Basmati, Calrose, Long Grain, Brown, Black, Low GI, and White & Wild blends) alongside a line of ready-to-heat microwaveable rice products for U.S. consumers. The brand sells its products through major supermarket chains (Walmart, Target, Safeway) and online grocery retailers, supported by a 120+ recipe database to drive at-home usage.
When was Hinode founded?
Hinode was founded in 1934. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Hinode based?
Hinode is headquartered in Woodland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hinode make money?
One revenue line is on record: consumer Packaged Goods (Rice Products).
Who are Hinode's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are RiceSelect (Riviana Foods), Lundberg Family Farms, Carolina Rice, Mahatma Rice (Riviana Foods), Marketside / Sam's Choice (Walmart Private Label), Seeds of Change (Mars, Inc.), Minute Rice (Kraft Heinz) and Trader Joe's Rice (Private Label). Ben's Original (Mars, Inc.) is listed as a broad incumbent. Tilda Rice is listed as a regional player.
Does Hinode have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hinode.
What industry is Hinode in?
Hinode's product category is Packaged Rice Products. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAKAIAK, Rice Cakes & Grain Snack Manufacturing. Its NAICS code is 311423 and its SIC code is 2030.