Hinode

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.

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

Product category

Packaged Rice Products

NAICS

Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing (311423)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFAKAIAK

Rice Cakes & Grain Snack Manufacturing

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Processing & Manufacturing/Snack Foods Manufacturing (Chips, Nuts, Popcorn)

Keywords

• Packaged rice products
• Ready-to-heat rice
• Specialty rice varieties
• Whole grain rice
• Microwavable rice bowls

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core 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

Named customers3 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

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• SunFoods, LLCcoreOthersHinode 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.
• SunRicecoreOthersSunRice 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.
• WalmartmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWalmart is a major retail distribution partner for Hinode rice products, available for purchase both in-store and online through Walmart.com.
• TargetmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTarget is a major retail distribution partner for Hinode rice products, available for purchase both in-store and online through Target.com.
• SafewaymajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSafeway is a retail distribution partner for Hinode rice products.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct 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

• Instagraminstagram.com/hinoderice
• Xx.com/hinoderice
• Facebookfacebook.com/hinoderice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sunfoods-llc

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 Hinode