Rice is on the table in Cuba almost every day. White rice with black beans, congrí, arroz con pollo, rice with a fried egg when nothing else is in the house. The country grows some of its own, but nowhere near enough, so a large share of what people eat is shipped in. That’s where 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba come in, because broken rice is the cheapest way to put a full bag of rice on a shelf.
We’re a rice mill and exporter in Thailand, De Thai Products 1989 Company Limited. We sell 100% broken rice, both white and parboiled, in 25 kg and 50 kg bags, by the full container. We ship worldwide. This page is written for Cuban importers, the private businesses that now bring food in, and anyone sourcing for them from abroad. It covers what we actually sell, the specs on paper, packing, shipping, payment, and the things that go wrong when people buy on price alone.
Table of Contents
What 100% Broken Rice Is
When paddy goes through a mill, some grains snap. That always happens. It doesn’t matter how good the mill is. The mill then sorts the whole grains from the pieces with graders and sifters, and the pieces are sold on their own. A lot where every grain is a piece, with no whole kernels mixed back in, is called 100% broken rice. In the Thai trade the standard grade is A1 Super.
It’s the same rice. Same paddy, same milling, same polish. It cooks a bit faster because the pieces are small, and it comes out softer. If you’re feeding a family, making rice flour, cooking porridge, or blending feed, it does the job and costs a good deal less than whole grain. If you want to read more about the product in general, the broken rice article on Wikipedia is a fair summary. We also wrote our own guide, what is broken rice used for, which goes through the main uses one by one.
Why Cuba Needs 100% Broken Rice Suppliers
Cubans eat a lot of rice per person, more than most countries in the Americas. Local paddy output has dropped over the years because of shortages of fuel, fertilizer and machinery, so imports fill the gap. A buyer in that position is always balancing two things: volume and money. Broken rice gives the most kilos per dollar.
That’s why the list of 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba keeps growing. There’s also the way rice is cooked there. Most Cuban rice dishes are cooked with beans, stock, or meat, and the grain gets mixed in with everything else. Nobody is judging the length of the grain in a pot of congrí. That makes 100% broken rice a sensible buy for the mass market, school and hospital kitchens, and food processors. If you’re looking at 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba, the question is less about the look of the grain and more about whether the lot is clean, dry, and delivered on time.
Since 2021, small and medium private businesses have changed who looks for 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba. These businesses have been allowed to import, and many of them deal in food. So there are now more buyers than just the state importers. Some order full containers, some share containers with other goods. We deal with both kinds of buyer.
What We Sell
As 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba, we sell two grades that suit the Cuban market. Both come from our own milling and sorting lines in Thailand:
- Thai white rice 100% broken, A1 Super. Clean white pieces, cooks soft, the most common choice for households and rice flour.
- Thai parboiled rice 100% broken, A-1 Super. Light golden color, firmer, holds up better in long cooking and keeps longer in heat.
If a buyer wants some whole grain mixed in to raise the eating quality a little, we also sell white rice 25% broken and parboiled rice 25% broken. Plenty of importers bring in one container of 100% broken and one of 25% broken and sell them at two price points. You can see everything else we mill on our products page.
Specifications
These are the specs we write into the contract for buyers who use us as their 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba. Every lot is checked against them before the bags are sewn shut.
| Item | White Rice 100% Broken (A1 Super) | Parboiled Rice 100% Broken (A-1 Super) |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Thailand | Thailand |
| Broken grains | 100% | 100% |
| Color | Natural white | Light yellow to golden |
| Moisture | 14% max | 14% max |
| Foreign matter | 0.1% max | Sortex cleaned, none |
| Damaged kernels | 0.5% max | Minimal |
| Insects | Free from live insects | Free from live insects |
| Crop | Current season | Current season |
| Packing | 25 kg or 50 kg PP bags | 25 kg or 50 kg PP bags |
We send a certificate of analysis with the shipping papers. If you need a tighter number on anything, say moisture at 13.5% for a long transit, tell us when you ask for the quote and we’ll tell you straight away whether we can hold it. Our rice standard page explains how the Thai grades are defined.
White or Parboiled for Cuba?
People ask this a lot. Here’s how we usually answer.
White 100% broken is what most Cuban families know. It’s soft, cooks in about 12 to 15 minutes, and absorbs the flavor of beans and sofrito well. It’s the cheaper of the two. It also makes good rice flour if you have a mill.
Parboiled 100% broken costs a bit more. The parboiling pushes nutrients from the bran into the grain and hardens the starch, so the pieces don’t turn to mush as fast. It also stands up better to heat and humidity in storage, which matters in Cuba where warehouses often have no cooling. Kitchens that cook big pots and keep rice warm for hours tend to like it.
If you’re not sure, start with white. That’s the safe first order with any 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba. Most of the 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba that you’ll talk to will tell you the same, because it’s what moves fastest in the shops.
Packing Options
Packing is something good 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba should ask you about, not just assume. Standard packing is 50 kg woven polypropylene bags. We can also do 25 kg bags, which are easier to carry and sell by the bag in smaller shops. For long voyages to the Caribbean we can add an inner PE liner, which keeps moisture out but costs a little extra.
- 50 kg PP bags, plain or printed
- 25 kg PP bags, plain or printed
- Inner liner on request
- Your own brand and Spanish text printed on the bag, if you’re selling under your own name
- Shipping marks and lot numbers on every bag
A 20-foot container usually takes about 25 to 26 tons of rice in 50 kg bags. We’ve written out the numbers in how many tons of rice fit in a 20ft container, including what changes with 25 kg bags.
Shipping From 100% Broken Rice Suppliers for Cuba
Most container cargo for Cuba goes into Mariel. Some lines also go to Santiago de Cuba. There’s rarely a direct service from Thailand, so containers are usually transshipped through a hub port on the way. Plan on six to eight weeks from loading in Bangkok or Laem Chabang to arrival, and allow more if your line has a long wait at the hub.
One thing Cuban buyers already know, but it’s worth saying: a vessel that calls at a Cuban port can’t go to a US port for some time afterward. That limits which ships and which lines will carry Cuba cargo, and it can push freight up. We book with lines that take Cuba bookings and we’ll quote you CIF Mariel if you want, or FOB Thailand if you have your own forwarder. If you’re new to the difference, our post on FOB vs CIF rice price walks through it.
Fumigation is done before loading and certified. We also leave the bags a little off the container walls and use desiccant strips on request, because the long sea leg through warm water is when condensation happens.
Documents
For rice going into Cuba, the usual set of papers from 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba is:
- Commercial invoice
- Packing list
- Bill of lading
- Certificate of origin
- Phytosanitary certificate
- Fumigation certificate
- Certificate of quality and weight from an independent surveyor
- Certificate of analysis
Your importer’s license and any Cuban import permits are on your side. If your buyer asks for anything extra, like a specific health certificate wording or a consular stamp, tell us early. Getting papers changed after the ship has sailed is slow and costs money. Our rice export documents checklist covers each paper in more detail.
Payment Terms
Payment is where Cuba deals get stuck more than anywhere else, and it’s the first thing to test with any 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba you’re talking to. We’d rather talk about it on day one.
US dollar transfers that pass through US banks are a problem for Cuba trade. Buyers dealing with Cuba usually either pay by letter of credit from a bank outside the US, or by transfer in euros or another currency through banks that are comfortable with the business. Some buyers have a trading partner in a third country who handles the purchase and resells.
We usually work on a deposit by TT with balance against documents, or an irrevocable LC at sight. We’ll tell you what we can accept for your situation once we know which bank and which currency you’re using. What we won’t do is load before the payment route is clear. That protects both sides.
Quality Checks on Every Lot
Cheap broken rice has a bad reputation, and some of it is earned. Not all 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba check their lots the same way. The problems are nearly always the same: high moisture, dust and bran, stones, weevils, and old crop sold as new. Here’s what we do about each.
- Moisture is measured on samples from the bagging line, not just from the stack.
- Every lot goes over a color sorter to pull out discolored pieces, stones and husk.
- We sift out fine powder so the bag isn’t paying for dust.
- Stock is fumigated before loading and the certificate goes with the papers.
- We pull a sealed sample from each lot and keep it, so if there’s a dispute we have something to test.
An independent surveyor checks quality and weight at loading if you want it, and most buyers shipping to Cuba do. You can read more on our quality control page. If you’ve been burned before by one of the 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba you used in the past, send us the problem and we’ll tell you honestly whether our lots would have had the same issue.
Storage in a Hot Climate
Cuba is hot and humid most of the year. Rice in bags keeps fine if you treat it right, but it goes off fast if you don’t.
No matter which 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba you buy from, storage on your side decides how the rice holds up. Keep bags on pallets, never on a bare concrete floor. Leave a gap between the stack and the wall so air can move. Don’t stack higher than about 15 or 16 bags of 50 kg. Sell the oldest stock first. Check for weevils every couple of weeks. White 100% broken rice will hold several months like that, and parboiled a little longer. If you’re holding stock for a long time, ask for liners and lower moisture when you order.
How Broken Rice Is Used in Cuba
Most of what 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba ship ends up in ordinary home cooking. Rice and beans. Rice with picadillo. Rice with whatever is available that week. Broken rice is also used for:
- Arroz con leche and other rice puddings, where the soft texture is actually an advantage
- Soups and stews, thickened with a handful of rice
- Rice flour for baking, frituras and gluten-free products
- Rice drinks
- Feed for pigs and poultry, mixed with other grains
- Brewing, where rice is used as an adjunct
That’s why buyers hunting for 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba are often feeding more than one type of customer. A wholesaler might sell 50 kg bags to a feed mill and repack the same rice into 1 kg and 2 kg bags for the shops.
Price and What Drives It
We don’t print a fixed price on this page, because it wouldn’t last a week, and you should be wary of 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba who quote a number without asking a single question. Thai broken rice prices move with the paddy harvest, the baht, freight, and whatever India and Vietnam are doing on export. What we can tell you is how the numbers usually stack up.
100% broken rice trades well below 5% broken whole grain. Parboiled 100% broken sits a bit above white 100% broken. Freight to the Caribbean is a big part of the landed cost, often more than for a Gulf or Asian buyer, because of the distance and the transshipment. Printed bags and liners add a little per ton. So does a surveyor.
When you ask us for a price, give us:
- The grade, white or parboiled 100% broken
- Bag size and whether you want printing
- Quantity, in containers or tons
- Port, Mariel or another
- FOB or CIF
- Your payment method
With that, we send a dated offer with the specs written in. If you’re comparing several 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba, make sure every quote you hold is for the same grade, same moisture, same packing and same Incoterm. A price that looks $20 lower is often a different product.
Why Buy Thai Broken Rice
Vietnam ships a lot of rice to Cuba and there are good mills and good 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba there too. We’re not going to pretend otherwise. Thai broken rice tends to win where buyers care about sorting and cleanliness. Thai mills have run color sorters across the whole line for a long time, and A1 Super is a well understood grade with a clear standard behind it. You know what you’re getting.
If you’re weighing the two origins, our post on Thai rice vs Vietnamese rice lays out the differences without the sales talk.
Minimum Order and Mixed Containers
Most 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba want at least a container, and we’re the same. Our minimum is usually one 20-foot container. For a first order we can split a container between white and parboiled 100% broken, or between 100% broken and 25% broken, as long as the split is in full pallets or clean rows of bags. That lets you test two products in the market without buying two containers. More detail is in our Thai rice minimum order quantity guide.
Mistakes We See Buyers Make
These come up again and again, in Cuba and everywhere else. Most of them are avoidable if you ask 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba the right questions before you sign.
Buying on the cheapest quote without a spec. If the offer doesn’t say moisture, foreign matter and broken percentage in writing, you have nothing to claim against when it arrives wet or dusty.
Skipping the surveyor. A few hundred dollars at loading can save a whole container.
Not planning for the long transit. Six weeks or more in a box at sea is hard on rice. Ask for lower moisture and liners if your route is long.
Leaving payment to the end. In Cuba trade this one ruins more deals than anything else. Settle the bank and the currency before you settle the price.
Ordering more than the warehouse can turn over. Rice in a hot warehouse for eight months is not the same rice that left Thailand.
Working With Your Forwarder
Plenty of buyers already have a forwarder, and the better 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba will work with whoever you choose. If you have a forwarder in Panama, Mexico, Spain or anywhere else who handles Cuba cargo, we’re happy to work with them on FOB terms. Send us their contact and we’ll coordinate the booking and the loading date. If you don’t have one, we can quote CIF and arrange the freight ourselves. Either way, we’ll send photos of the loading and container sealing so you can see the bags going in.
Who We Sell To
We sell 100% broken rice to importers, wholesalers, food processors, feed mills, aid buyers and trading companies around the world. In the Caribbean that includes buyers supplying Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the smaller islands. If you’re also buying for Haiti, our post on broken rice imports to Haiti covers that market. For the region as a whole, see parboiled rice demand in the Caribbean, and for cheaper grades across the islands, cheap broken rice wholesale Caribbean.
Being one of the 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba means dealing with longer shipping, harder payments and buyers who can’t afford a bad container. We’d rather tell you what’s realistic than promise a date we can’t hit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you ship 100% broken rice to Cuba?
Yes. We ship worldwide and we can quote FOB Thailand or CIF Mariel. As 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba, we work with both state-linked importers and private businesses, and with traders who buy for them from abroad.
What is the smallest order?
One 20-foot container, roughly 25 to 26 tons. You can split it between two grades on a first order.
Why use 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba instead of buying whole grain?
Price. Broken rice costs well below whole grain and it eats almost the same in mixed dishes. For a market that cooks rice with beans, meat and stock, that’s the better deal.
Is 100% broken rice less nutritious than whole rice?
No. It’s the same rice in smaller pieces. Nutrition per kilo is about the same as whole grain milled to the same degree.
How long does it keep?
Several months in dry, ventilated storage off the floor. Parboiled keeps a little longer than white.
Can you print our brand on the bags?
Yes. Send us your artwork and Spanish text. Printed bags add a little time and cost, so tell us early.
Can you send samples?
Yes, and any 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba that won’t send a sample are worth avoiding. We send samples of the grade you’re considering before you commit, so you can cook it and check it yourself.
Get a Quote
If you’re looking for reliable 100% broken rice suppliers for Cuba, send us the grade, bag size, quantity, port and how you plan to pay. We’ll send samples and a dated offer with the full spec in writing.
De Thai Products 1989 Company Limited. Email info@dethairice.com, WhatsApp +66 81 034 6390, or use our contact page. You can read about us first if you’d like to know who you’re dealing with.
