Most jasmine rice importers UK grocers rely on don’t buy from Thailand directly. They buy through a trader in Europe, who buys from a trader in Bangkok, who buys from a mill. Each step adds a margin and a bit of guesswork about where the rice actually came from. We think there’s a simpler way, and it’s why we’re writing this page.
We’re De Thai Products 1989 Company Limited, a rice miller and exporter in Thailand. We sell Thai jasmine rice and Thai Hom Mali rice straight from our mill to jasmine rice importers UK wide, in bulk bags and in branded retail packs. This page covers what we sell, the full specification, packing, container loads, landed cost, the paperwork UK buyers need, and the mistakes we see new importers make.
Table of Contents
Who This Page Is For
If you run an import business in Britain and you want Thai fragrant rice, this is for you. That includes:
- Asian and Oriental food wholesalers in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow
- Cash and carry groups supplying corner shops and takeaways
- Restaurant and catering suppliers
- Supermarket and private label buyers
- Online grocers and food boxes
- New importers who want to start their own rice brand
All of these are jasmine rice importers UK customers buy from every day without knowing it. Some take one container a quarter, some take ten a month. We can work with both.
What We Sell to Jasmine Rice Importers UK
We have three jasmine products that UK buyers ask for most.
Thai Hom Mali rice. The premium grade. Grown in the northeast of Thailand, very fragrant, soft and slightly sticky when cooked. This is what most UK Thai and Chinese restaurants want, and what serious jasmine rice importers UK shoppers trust put on the shelf.
Thai jasmine rice (Pathumthani fragrant rice). A fragrant long grain at a lower price than Hom Mali. Good for value retail packs and busy takeaways.
Organic jasmine rice. For health food shops and premium lines.
We also supply Thai white rice 5% broken, glutinous rice and parboiled rice, so you can fill a mixed container. The full range is on our products page.
Thai Hom Mali Rice Specification
This is the sheet we offer to jasmine rice importers UK buyers for our premium Hom Mali grade.
| Item | Our standard |
|---|---|
| Product | Thai Hom Mali rice, long grain fragrant |
| Origin | Thailand, northeast growing areas |
| Crop | Current season, stated on the offer |
| Hom Mali purity | 92% minimum (higher grades on request) |
| Broken grains | 4% to 5% maximum |
| Moisture | 14% maximum |
| Foreign matter | 0.1% maximum |
| Damaged, yellow, chalky | Tight limits, stated on contract |
| Packing | 1kg, 2kg, 5kg, 10kg, 20kg, 25kg, 50kg |
Thai Jasmine Rice (Pathumthani) Specification
| Item | Our standard |
|---|---|
| Product | Thai jasmine rice, Pathumthani fragrant, long grain |
| Origin | Thailand |
| Purity | 95% minimum |
| Broken grains | 5% maximum |
| Moisture | 14% maximum |
| Foreign matter | 0.1% maximum |
| Shelf life | Up to 24 months stored cool and dry |
If you’re not sure which grade fits your customers, read Pathumthani fragrant rice vs Hom Mali rice. In short, Hom Mali smells stronger and cooks softer. Pathumthani costs less and still smells good.
Why Jasmine Rice Importers UK Buyers Come to a Mill
Three reasons come up again and again.
The first is price. Every middleman takes a cut. Buying from the mill takes out one or two of them.
The second is consistency. When we mill, sort and pack ourselves, the rice in your tenth container matches the rice in your first. Jasmine rice importers UK restaurants depend on can’t afford a batch that cooks differently.
The third is control over the pack. You choose the bag, the print, the brand, the barcode. We make it.
Packing Options for the UK Market
UK shelves have their own habits. Here’s what we pack most for jasmine rice importers UK customers.
- 1kg and 2kg bags for supermarket and online grocery.
- 5kg bags with a clear window, the classic Asian grocery pack. See our page on the jasmine rice 5kg bag supplier service for the detail.
- 10kg and 20kg bags for takeaways and families who cook rice every day.
- 25kg and 50kg bags for catering and repackers.
- Vacuum packs for premium lines.
Every retail bag can carry your own brand. We check the label wording with you, but the final check on UK rules should come from your own adviser. The Food Standards Agency site is a good place to start on food labelling and safety.
Private Label for UK Brands
Plenty of jasmine rice importers UK buyers trade under their own brand. It builds loyalty and protects your margin. We’ve printed for small family importers and for groups with several brands.
The process is simple. You send artwork. We check the layout fits the bag and send a proof. You approve. We print and pack. Read our page on private label Thai Hom Mali rice for more, and see the house brands we pack ourselves.
Quick tip: UK bags need a UK or GB importer address and the right net weight format. Sort these out before printing. A reprint delays the whole order.
Container Loads and Minimum Order
Most jasmine rice importers UK side order in 20ft containers. Here’s roughly what fits.
| Container and pack | Approx. rice per container |
|---|---|
| 20ft, 25kg or 50kg bags | about 25 tons |
| 20ft, 5kg bags in bales | about 22 to 24 tons |
| 20ft, 1kg or 2kg in cartons | about 18 to 21 tons |
Our minimum is one 20ft container. It can be mixed, which helps new importers test the market. More detail is on how many tons of rice fit in a 20ft container and our minimum order quantity page.
Shipping Routes and Transit Time to the UK
We load at Laem Chabang or Bangkok. Rice for jasmine rice importers UK usually lands at Felixstowe, Southampton or London Gateway, with some going to Liverpool or Tilbury. Sea transit is usually about four to six weeks, depending on the carrier and any route changes.
Add time for booking, loading and UK clearance. If your stock runs low, order earlier than you think you need to. Running out of rice in a busy month costs more than a few weeks of storage.
Landed Cost: How the Numbers Build Up
Jasmine rice importers UK finance teams want to know the full cost per kilo on the shelf, not only the FOB price. A simple way to build it:
| Step | What to add |
|---|---|
| FOB price | Rice plus packing, loaded on the ship in Thailand |
| Sea freight | Thailand to UK port, per container |
| Insurance | Usually a small percent of value |
| UK import duty | Check the UK Global Tariff for your exact rice code |
| Port and clearance | Handling, customs agent, any inspections |
| Haulage | Port to your warehouse |
| VAT | Most basic rice is zero rated, but check with your adviser |
We quote FOB, CFR or CIF, whichever you prefer. If you’re comparing offers, read FOB vs CIF rice price, and check the ICC Incoterms rules so everyone uses the same words the same way. For prices, our pages on Thai Hom Mali rice price per ton and Thai jasmine rice FOB price give recent ranges.
UK Import Rules in Plain Words
We’re not UK customs agents, so treat this as a starting list, not legal advice. Jasmine rice importers UK based need to think about:
- An EORI number for your business.
- The right commodity code for milled rice, and the duty on it.
- Food safety limits, including pesticide residues and inorganic arsenic in rice.
- Labelling rules for retail packs.
- Any pre-notification your customs agent says is needed.
The GOV.UK site has the current guidance on importing food. Talk to a good customs broker before your first container. It saves money.
What we do at our end is make sure the rice is tested, fumigated and documented properly, so your agent has what they need.
Documents We Send
Every container to jasmine rice importers UK customers comes with:
- Commercial invoice
- Packing list
- Bill of lading
- Certificate of origin
- Phytosanitary certificate
- Fumigation certificate
- Certificate of quality and weight
- Lab reports on request (residues, arsenic, aflatoxin)
For a full explanation, see our page on rice export documents. If you’re new, our guide on how to import rice from Thailand covers the whole process from first quote to delivery.
How We Check Quality
Before we load rice for jasmine rice importers UK buyers, we test it.
- Moisture on every lot
- Broken count by sieve and weight
- Hom Mali purity test for premium grades
- A cook test for smell, softness and color
- Visual check for chalky, yellow and damaged grains
- Weight check on bags
You can send your own inspector to sample at loading. Many of our buyers use SGS or a similar firm. Our quality control and rice standard pages explain more.
New Crop and Aroma
UK customers who cook Thai rice notice when the smell is missing. Fresh Hom Mali has a strong aroma that fades slowly after milling, and faster in warm storage. Jasmine rice importers UK restaurants buy from should always know the crop year of what they’re selling.
We state the crop year on every offer. Our page on old crop vs new crop jasmine rice explains the difference, and how to identify genuine Thai Hom Mali rice helps you spot blended rice.
7 Proven Tips for Jasmine Rice Importers UK
1. Know your buyer before you pick the grade
A Thai restaurant will pay for Hom Mali. A discount shop might not. Match the grade to the shelf.
2. Test cook before you sign
Cook the sample with your chef or your best customer. Raw rice tells you little.
3. Put crop year and purity in the contract
Spoken promises fade. Written specs don’t.
4. Use one inspection on the first order
It sets the standard. After that, you’ll know what good looks like.
5. Plan stock around shipping time
Four to six weeks at sea plus clearance. Order early, especially before Christmas, Lunar New Year and Ramadan.
6. Get the label right before printing
Importer address, net weight, origin, cooking instructions. Check twice.
7. Build a relationship, not a one-off deal
The best jasmine rice importers UK traders work with have been buying from the same mill for years. That’s how they keep the price fair and the quality steady.
Mistakes We See From New UK Importers
Some new jasmine rice importers UK side buy on price alone and get old crop rice with no smell. Others don’t check the label and spend a weekend sticking corrected labels on thousands of bags. A few forget about port charges and find their margin gone before the rice reaches the warehouse.
The fix for all of these is simple. Ask more questions before the first order, and pick a supplier who answers them clearly.
Pairing Jasmine With Other Rice
Many jasmine rice importers UK customers buy a mix. Common partners are Thai glutinous rice for dessert and dim sum, Thai parboiled rice 5% broken for African and Caribbean shops, and basmati rice for South Asian customers. One container, several lines, one invoice.
If you also sell into mainland Europe, see our page on jasmine rice suppliers Europe. For the Gulf, see jasmine rice supplier Dubai.
A Short UK Buyer Story
A family business in the Midlands came to us a few years ago. They’d been buying jasmine rice from a European trader for years and had no idea which mill packed it. Some months it was great. Some months their restaurant customers complained.
We sent samples of our Hom Mali and our Pathumthani fragrant rice. They cooked both, chose Hom Mali for restaurants and Pathumthani for their own 5kg retail brand, and took one mixed container. Today they take a container most months. Their complaint rate dropped to almost nothing because the rice is the same every time. That’s what jasmine rice importers UK businesses really need: rice that doesn’t change.
Seasonal Demand in the UK
UK rice demand isn’t flat. It jumps at a few points every year, and jasmine rice importers UK traders who plan for those peaks make most of their money there.
Lunar New Year pushes Chinese and Southeast Asian shops hard, and Hom Mali sells fast. Ramadan and Eid lift demand from Muslim households, who buy a lot of fragrant rice for family meals. Christmas and the weeks before it are busy for everyone, because shops stock up before the holiday break. Summer is quieter for retail but steady for takeaways and restaurants.
Because the sea leg alone takes over a month, your order for a February peak should be placed in autumn. We see this go wrong every year. Someone calls in January asking for rice for Lunar New Year, and there’s simply no time.
Restaurant Buyers vs Retail Buyers
These two groups want very different things, and it helps to treat them as separate customers.
Restaurants care about how the rice behaves in the pot. They cook large batches, hold rice warm for hours, and need it to stay soft without turning mushy. They usually buy 20kg or 25kg bags and don’t care much about the print. Price matters, but a chef will drop a cheaper rice the first time it cooks badly.
Retail shoppers care about the bag first. They look at the grain through the window, read the origin, check the price per kilo. They buy 1kg, 5kg or 10kg packs. Brand loyalty is real in this group, which is why many jasmine rice importers UK grocers rely on build their own label instead of selling someone else’s.
Most successful importers serve both. One container can carry 25kg sacks for the catering trade and 5kg branded bags for shops.
Storing Rice in a UK Warehouse
The UK climate is kind to rice compared with the tropics, but damp is the enemy. Keep pallets off the floor and away from outside walls, where condensation forms in winter. Leave space for air to move. Rotate stock first in, first out, and keep an eye on any bag that feels soft or smells musty.
Good storage protects the aroma too. Hom Mali kept cool holds its smell far longer than rice kept in a warm unit next to a boiler. Jasmine rice importers UK customers trust tend to have boring, clean, well run warehouses. That isn’t an accident.
How Working With Us Goes, Step by Step
Here’s what a normal first order looks like for jasmine rice importers UK buyers who come to us.
- You send your needs: grade, pack, brand or plain, volume, port.
- We send a dated offer with the full spec and price basis.
- We courier samples, and you cook them.
- We agree the contract, including crop year, purity and packing.
- If it’s private label, we finalise and print your bags.
- We mill, sort, test and pack your order.
- Your inspector checks at loading if you want one.
- We ship and send document scans, then originals.
- Your agent clears the container and it goes to your warehouse.
From signed contract to loading, a plain-bag order usually takes two to three weeks. Private label orders take longer the first time because of the printing.
Payment Terms
For new jasmine rice importers UK customers we usually ask for a deposit with the balance against copy documents, or a letter of credit at sight. After a few orders we can look at other terms. We’d rather be open about this at the start.
Why Thai Jasmine Instead of Other Origins
UK shelves now carry fragrant rice from Cambodia, Vietnam and elsewhere, often a little cheaper. Some of it is good. But Thai Hom Mali is still the name UK shoppers know, and many restaurant owners grew up cooking it. When jasmine rice importers UK customers trust switch origin to save money, they usually hear about it from their customers within a month.
Thai rice also has a long export track record, clear grading standards and mills that are used to strict European and UK buyers. That makes life easier when your agent asks for documents. If you want a fair comparison, read our page on Thai jasmine rice vs Cambodian jasmine rice and Thai rice vs Vietnamese rice.
Market Background
Thai fragrant rice remains one of the most traded premium rice types in the world. For broader market reading, the FAO rice market page gives a global picture, and the Thai Rice Exporters Association publishes figures on what Thailand ships each year. You’ll also find our own view on Thailand rice exports in 2026.
A last word for anyone new to this. The jasmine rice importers UK shoppers know by name didn't start big. Most began with one container, one grade and a handful of shops. If you're planning to join the jasmine rice importers UK trade, start the same way, learn what sells, and grow from there. We're happy to grow with you, and plenty of jasmine rice importers UK wide have done exactly that with us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you sell directly to jasmine rice importers UK businesses?
Yes. We sell straight from our mill to UK importers, wholesalers and brands.
What’s your minimum order?
One 20ft container, which can be mixed.
Can you pack under my UK brand?
Yes. Private label is a large part of our UK business.
Which UK ports do you ship to?
Mainly Felixstowe, Southampton and London Gateway, plus other ports on request.
Can you send lab reports?
Yes. Residue, arsenic and aflatoxin reports can be arranged before shipping.
How do I get a price?
Send us your grade, pack, quantity and port. Our FAQ page answers more common questions.
Talk to Our Mill
If you’re one of the jasmine rice importers UK grocers and restaurants depend on, or you want to become one, send us your grade, bag sizes, brand plans, monthly volume and your nearest UK port. We’ll send a dated offer and arrange samples.
De Thai Products 1989 Company Limited. Email info@dethairice.com, WhatsApp +66 81 034 6390, or use our contact page. Learn more about us.
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