SunRice
An Australian rice and food company whose brands span staple foods, snacks, prepared meals, gourmet groceries, animal feed and pet food.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
SunRice is an Australian rice and broader food company headquartered in Leeton, in the Riverina region of New South Wales, with an additional corporate office in Sydney. It is one of Australia's leading branded food exporters and operates a diversified group of businesses across rice milling, packaged foods, grocery distribution, animal nutrition and international food marketing. Although rice remains the core of its identity, the group manufactures and distributes more than 700 products, including table rice, rice flour, snack foods, microwaveable rice meals, prepared rice products, gourmet groceries, livestock feed and companion-animal products. The company's Australian rice activities are closely connected to the irrigated agricultural economy of southern New South Wales. SunRice operates rice mills in Leeton, Deniliquin and Coleambally and sources rice from the Riverina as well as from overseas suppliers when needed to maintain continuity of supply in lower-crop years. In an average year, roughly 80 percent of the Australian rice crop is exported as branded product. Its international markets include parts of Asia, the Pacific and the Middle East, reflecting the company's position as both a domestic food supplier and an export-oriented processor and marketer. SunRice Group's business structure extends well beyond its principal Australian rice operations. CopRice produces livestock feed and pet food through facilities in Leeton, Tongala and Cobden. The business began by using rice by-products such as rice pollard, although its feed products now use a wider range of ingredients. Riviana Foods operates as a gourmet food distribution, sales and marketing business, with brands covering olives, pickled vegetables, rice and other grocery and food-service products. Its portfolio includes Always Fresh, Felhbergs, Admiral, Captain, Riviana, Mahatma, Menu Master, Garden Supreme and Ocean Supreme. The group also has substantial Pacific and North American operations. Trukai Industries, based in Papua New Guinea, packages, distributes, markets and sells rice under brands including Trukai and Roots Rice. SunRice owns approximately two-thirds of Trukai, with the balance held for the people of Papua New Guinea through the Pacific Balanced Fund. SolRice is a wholly owned distribution, sales and marketing business in the Solomon Islands. In the United States, SunFoods operates rice milling, distribution and marketing activities from Woodland, California, and owns the Hinode brand, which has a long history in American medium-grain rice markets. Other operations and representative activities have extended into countries including Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Jordan, Vietnam and New Zealand. SunRice has pursued international sourcing and supply-chain development to complement Australian production. This approach is intended to protect product availability during years of weak local harvests while allowing Riverina growers to concentrate on premium varieties that can generate stronger farm-gate returns. The group has also invested in related infrastructure and research. Its AGS subsidiary owns and operates Riverina grain-storage assets with capacity exceeding one million tonnes, while Rice Research Australia Pty Ltd conducts rice-variety and agronomic research with the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. The brand's market position combines Australian rice heritage, large-scale processing and distribution capabilities, and a portfolio approach covering everyday household foods and specialist food-service products. SunRice is active across Australia and multiple overseas regions, but available reference material does not establish a single current consumer-facing website, a public stock ticker, or a specific founding year for the SunRice brand itself.
History
SunRice developed from Australia's rice-growing and rice-processing economy, particularly the irrigated agricultural districts of southern New South Wales. Its principal Australian base is in Leeton, in the Riverina, where the company operates alongside a network of mills, storage assets, growers and agricultural research activities. The group has also operated mills in Deniliquin and Coleambally, making the Riverina the operational centre of its Australian rice platform. Over time, SunRice expanded from a predominantly rice-focused enterprise into a diversified branded-food group. Its manufacturing range came to include table rice, rice flour, snack foods and prepared or microwaveable rice meals. The expansion into convenient rice meals was particularly important in the Australian snack and convenience-food market, where the company reported significant market-share growth during the 2017 financial year. The broader product portfolio allowed SunRice to serve household grocery, food-service and export customers rather than relying solely on bulk rice sales. The group also built businesses around rice by-products and adjacent food categories. CopRice supplied animal feed through plants in Leeton, Tongala and Cobden. Although its original rationale was linked to the availability of rice by-products such as rice pollard, CopRice later used a broader ingredient base and developed both livestock and companion-animal products. In 2020, the Coleambally Mill was converted for ruminant-feed production, creating what the company described as Australia's largest facility of its kind. This change represented a shift in the use of an existing rice asset toward animal nutrition. SunRice's international development included ownership interests, acquisitions and operating partnerships in several regions. Trukai Industries in Papua New Guinea was registered in 1970 and became a major local rice packaging, distribution and marketing business. SunRice holds about two-thirds of Trukai, while the remaining interest is held on behalf of Papua New Guineans through the Pacific Balanced Fund. Trukai operates from Lae, with marketing functions in Port Moresby and distribution facilities around the country. SolRice provides a similar distribution, sales and marketing platform in the Solomon Islands and is wholly owned by SunRice. In North America, SunFoods was established in 2008 and subsequently became part of SunRice's operations. Based in Woodland, California, SunFoods mills, distributes and markets rice and owns the Hinode brand. Hinode originated with the California-based Rice Growers Association in the 1930s and developed a strong position in United States medium-grain rice markets. Through SunFoods, SunRice gained a more substantial US production and distribution base rather than serving the country only through exports. Riviana Foods broadened the group further into gourmet groceries and food-service distribution. Its portfolio includes rice, olives, pickled vegetables and other specialty products marketed under brands such as Always Fresh, Felhbergs, Admiral, Captain, Riviana and Mahatma. Food-service lines include Menu Master, Garden Supreme and Ocean Supreme. The business has been described as holding a leading share of Australia's retail olive and pickled-vegetable channel. As climate, crop and supply conditions became more important to the reliability of food manufacturing, SunRice developed sourcing arrangements beyond Australia. The company sourced substantial volumes of paddy rice from Vietnam in the 2016–17 period and opened a representative office there. The stated purpose was to supplement domestic production in low-crop years, secure supply and allow Australian growers to focus more heavily on premium varieties. This strategy connected SunRice's Australian brand identity with a more international procurement and manufacturing model. The modern SunRice Group therefore combines Australian rice production and processing with overseas subsidiaries, food distribution, animal nutrition, grain storage and agricultural research. Its operations have extended across Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, the Pacific Islands and parts of Asia and the Middle East. Reference material describes a group with around 35 major brands, a presence in approximately 50 global markets and more than 2,000 employees, although no current corporate financial or listing information is established here.
- 2020
Coleambally Mill converted to ruminant-feed production
[1]SunRice's CopRice business converted the Coleambally Mill into a ruminant-feed mill described as the largest of its type in Australia.
- 2017
Growth in Australian convenience rice
[1]During the 2017 financial year, SunRice reported strong market-share growth in Australia's snack-food sector, associated with rising sales of microwaveable rice meals.
- 2008
SunFoods established
[1]SunFoods was established in the United States and subsequently became part of SunRice's North American rice milling, distribution and marketing activities.
- 1970
Trukai Industries registered in Papua New Guinea
[1]Trukai Industries was registered in Papua New Guinea and later became a major rice packaging, distribution and marketing operation in the country, with SunRice holding approximately two-thirds of the business.
- 1930
Origins of the Hinode brand
[1]The Hinode rice brand was created by the California-based Rice Growers Association, later becoming part of SunRice's United States portfolio through SunFoods.
Products and positioning
An Australian rice-led food group positioned around dependable staple foods, branded exports, broad food manufacturing and distribution capabilities, and a growing portfolio of animal nutrition and international businesses.
Staple foods
SunRice rice and rice meals
The core SunRice portfolio includes everyday table rice, rice flour, prepared rice products and convenient microwaveable rice meals. These products serve Australian household, export and food-service markets and form the central consumer expression of the SunRice name.
Animal nutrition
CopRice
CopRice produces feed for livestock and companion animals. It began with a connection to rice-milling by-products, including rice pollard, but now uses a broader range of ingredients. Its manufacturing network includes plants in Leeton, Tongala and Cobden.
Gourmet grocery and food service
Riviana Foods
Riviana Foods is SunRice's gourmet-food distribution, sales and marketing business. Its retail and food-service portfolio includes rice, olives, pickled vegetables and specialty products sold under brands such as Always Fresh, Felhbergs, Admiral, Captain, Riviana, Mahatma, Menu Master, Garden Supreme and Ocean Supreme.
Rice · 1970
Trukai
Trukai is a major Papua New Guinean rice brand operated through Trukai Industries. The business packages, distributes, markets and sells rice from its Lae base, supported by a Port Moresby marketing office and distribution facilities across Papua New Guinea.
Rice · 1930
Hinode
Hinode is a United States rice brand owned through SunFoods. It originated with the California Rice Growers Association in the 1930s and is particularly established in medium-grain rice markets. The brand is distributed through US retail channels.
Rice distribution
SolRice
SolRice is a wholly owned SunRice business in the Solomon Islands focused on the distribution, sales and marketing of rice and related products.
Brand decisions
2020
Conversion of Coleambally MillStrategyBackground
SunRice's CopRice animal-feed business had access to existing milling infrastructure and was expanding beyond its original reliance on rice by-products.
Action taken
The Coleambally Mill was converted into a ruminant-feed mill.
Aftermath
The converted facility was described as Australia's largest ruminant-feed mill of its kind and strengthened CopRice's animal-nutrition platform.
2016
Development of international rice sourcingStrategyBackground
Australian rice harvests can vary, while Riverina growers may obtain stronger returns by concentrating on premium varieties.
Action taken
SunRice developed international sourcing and supply-chain arrangements, including sourcing paddy rice from Vietnam and establishing a representative office there.
Aftermath
The strategy was intended to improve supply reliability in low-crop years while supporting a premium-variety focus for Australian growers.
2008
Establishment of SunFoodsStrategyBackground
SunRice sought to develop a stronger presence in the United States rice market and broaden its international operating base.
Action taken
SunFoods was established in California as a rice milling, distribution and marketing business and later became part of the SunRice group.
Aftermath
The move gave SunRice a North American operating platform and ownership of the established Hinode rice brand.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
SunRice confirms 68 Deniliquin job cuts[2]
SunRice confirmed that 68 Deniliquin-based employees will lose their jobs as part of operational changes affecting 71 local workers, with a small number of employees securing redeployment opportunities within the company.
SunRice announces purchase of Ingham Group's North Island dairy feed business[3]
Reported:
SunRice announced a $10 million purchase of Ingham Group's North Island dairy nutrition business, including a feed mill in Hamilton and the Top Cow and Top Calf feed brands. The sale was expected to be completed by March 2021.
Sources3 sources
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