If you’re buying glutinous rice wholesale UK side, for a cash and carry, an Asian supermarket, a restaurant supplier or a food factory, we can ship it to you straight from our mills in Thailand. We sell Thai white glutinous rice in 5%, 10% and 25% broken grades. We pack 1 kg, 2 kg, 5 kg, 10 kg and 25 kg bags, plain or under your own brand, and ship by the container to Felixstowe, Southampton, London Gateway or Liverpool. This page covers specs, UK import rules, packing, transit, documents and how to order.
UK demand for sticky rice has grown a lot. Thai restaurants sell mango sticky rice in every high street, mochi shops have popped up in most cities, and Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese and Korean grocers all stock it. That’s good for anyone in glutinous rice wholesale UK trade, as long as the supply behind it is steady.
Table of Contents
Who We Are
We’re De Thai Products 1989 Company Limited. We’ve exported Thai rice since 1989. Our glutinous rice comes from the north and northeast of Thailand, where sticky rice is the everyday rice. We buy paddy by variety and handle milling, sorting and packing ourselves.
We also export Hom Mali, jasmine, white, parboiled and Japonica-type rice, which are all on our products page. UK importers buying glutinous rice wholesale UK side often add a few pallets of jasmine or Hom Mali to the same container. That’s fine with us.
What We Sell
Here’s what we offer for glutinous rice wholesale UK buyers. All of it is Thai white glutinous rice from the current crop unless you ask for something else.
- Thai glutinous rice 5% broken. Our premium grade. Clean, even, opaque grains, double polished and sortexed. For retail shelves, Thai restaurants and dessert shops.
- Thai glutinous rice 10% broken. The middle grade, popular with food service. See our 10% broken spec sheet.
- Thai glutinous rice 25% broken. For flour, mochi production, snack makers and anyone grinding or blending. Details on the 25% broken page.
- Black glutinous rice. Smaller lots for desserts and health food ranges.
We can pack every grade under your label. The main listing is Thai glutinous rice for sale.
Specifications
This is our standard spec for glutinous rice wholesale UK orders in the 5% grade. If you have a supermarket spec of your own, send it and we’ll check it line by line.
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Product | Thai white glutinous rice |
| Origin | Thailand |
| Crop | Current crop, or as agreed |
| Grain | Short to medium, opaque milky white |
| Broken grains | Max 5% |
| Moisture | Max 14% |
| Glutinous purity | Min 95% |
| Damaged grains | Max 0.5% |
| Yellow grains | Max 0.2% |
| Red and red-streaked grains | Max 0.5% |
| Foreign matter | Max 0.1% |
| Milling | Well milled, double polished, 100% sortexed |
| Cooked texture | Soft, sticky, slightly chewy |
| Shelf life | 12 to 24 months with proper storage |
How the three grades compare:
| Point | 5% broken | 10% broken | 25% broken |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole grains | 95% or more | 90% or more | 75% or more |
| Glutinous purity | Min 95% | Min 95% | Min 92% |
| Damaged grains | Max 0.5% | Max 1% | Max 1.5% |
| Price | Highest | Middle | Lowest |
| Best for in the UK | Retail, Thai restaurants | Food service, cash and carry | Mochi, flour, snacks |
We grade to Thai export standards, and you can read how we apply them on our rice standard page.
Who Buys Glutinous Rice Wholesale UK Side
From what we see, glutinous rice wholesale UK demand comes from a handful of groups:
- Asian supermarkets and cash and carry. They want 1 kg, 2 kg and 5 kg retail bags plus 25 kg for the trade counter.
- Restaurant distributors. Thai, Chinese, Lao and Filipino kitchens buy 10 kg and 25 kg bags every week.
- Mochi and dessert makers. They often buy glutinous rice flour, but some grind their own from the 25% grade.
- Food manufacturers. Ready meals, frozen dim sum like lo mai gai, and snacks. Our rice supplier for food manufacturers page covers what factories need.
- Private label brands. Selling sticky rice online or into mainstream supermarkets under their own name.
If you’re one of these, we’d be happy to quote. Many of our UK customers also read our jasmine rice importers UK page, since they buy both.
Importing Rice Into the UK
Since Brexit, the UK runs its own import rules, separate from the EU. Here’s the short version for rice. Please check the details with your customs agent, because things change.
- Tariff. Rice from Thailand pays duty under the UK Global Tariff. Milled glutinous rice and broken rice sit under different commodity codes, and broken rice usually carries lower duty. You can look up the current rate on the UK Trade Tariff service.
- Food law. Imported rice must meet UK food safety rules, including pesticide residue limits set for Great Britain. The Food Standards Agency guide to importing food is the place to start.
- Labelling. Retail packs need English labelling, the name and a UK address of the food business, net weight, origin and storage advice.
- Customs. Your importer needs an EORI number and usually a customs broker to handle the declaration.
We test before loading so the rice going to you meets GB residue limits. That saves a lot of grief at Felixstowe. Anyone in glutinous rice wholesale UK supply should insist on the same.
Packing Options
| Pack | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 25 kg | PP woven or BOPP printed | Trade counter and food service |
| 10 kg and 5 kg | BOPP or PE printed | Restaurants and cash and carry |
| 1 kg and 2 kg | PE or vacuum pack in cartons | Retail shelves |
| 50 kg | PP woven | Factories, lowest cost per ton |
| Jumbo bag | About 1 MT | Factories with bulk handling |
UK warehouses usually want goods on pallets, so we can palletise and stretch wrap retail cartons. We print English labels from your artwork and send proofs before printing. More on bag types is on our glutinous rice 25 kg bag wholesale page.
Shipping to the UK
We load at Laem Chabang or Bangkok. Typical transit for glutinous rice wholesale UK shipments:
| Destination port | Typical transit |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | About 28 to 35 days |
| Southampton | About 28 to 35 days |
| London Gateway | About 28 to 36 days |
| Liverpool | About 32 to 40 days |
A 20ft container holds about 25 to 26 MT in 25 kg bags, or about 20 to 23 MT with retail cartons on pallets. See how many tons of rice fit in a 20ft container for more. If one full container of sticky rice is too much, we can mix glutinous rice with jasmine or Hom Mali in the same box.
Documents
Every glutinous rice wholesale UK shipment from us comes with:
- Commercial invoice and packing list
- Bill of lading
- Certificate of origin
- Phytosanitary certificate
- Fumigation certificate
- Quality and weight certificate from an independent surveyor
- Lab reports for pesticide residues and anything else you ask for
Our rice export documents guide explains what each one is for.
Pricing
For glutinous rice wholesale UK orders we quote FOB Thai port, or CFR and CIF to your UK port. The price depends on grade, crop, packing, quantity and freight rates at the time. UK freight has swung a lot in recent years, so we quote with a validity date. The Thai Rice Exporters Association publishes weekly prices if you want a market reference.
Our Thai glutinous rice wholesale price page shows how a price is built up, and the FOB vs CIF guide helps you decide who books the shipping. Incoterms are defined by the International Chamber of Commerce.
Payment is normally a T/T deposit with balance against copy documents, or a sight L/C.
Quality Control
For glutinous rice wholesale UK orders, we test paddy for moisture and purity at intake, check broken rate, chalky grains, damage and colour after milling, and run everything through colour sorters. We sample again before packing and an independent surveyor checks at loading. A retained sample of each shipment is kept for a year. See our quality control page.
Working as a Glutinous Rice Wholesale UK Partner
UK buyers tend to plan well and expect suppliers to do the same. A cash and carry running a promotion can’t wait an extra month. So the things that matter most in glutinous rice wholesale UK supply are clear loading dates, honest updates when a vessel is delayed, and rice that cooks the same every time.
We keep the variety and milling settings the same for repeat buyers. If anything has to change, you hear about it before the rice ships.
Glutinous Rice Wholesale UK Restaurants Rely On
Thai restaurants are probably the biggest single group of sticky rice users in Britain. Mango sticky rice has become a menu staple, and Lao and Isan restaurants serve sticky rice with almost every meal. Kitchens want a grade that steams evenly and stays soft for a few hours. The 5% or 10% grade in 10 kg or 25 kg bags is what most restaurant distributors buy for glutinous rice wholesale UK kitchens.
Glutinous Rice Wholesale UK Mochi Makers Use
Mochi, daifuku and mochi ice cream have taken off across the UK. Some makers buy ready flour. Others grind their own for better control, and they usually buy the 25% broken grade because whole grains don’t matter once it’s ground. Purity matters more. Too many non-glutinous grains and the mochi loses its stretch.
Thai Sticky Rice vs Other Origins
UK importers sometimes ask whether they should buy from Laos, Vietnam, China or even Italy instead. Each has its place, so here’s our honest view.
Laos grows excellent sticky rice, and Lao restaurants in Britain swear by it, but export volumes are small and getting consistent container lots with full papers is harder. Vietnam is often cheaper on paper. The quality can be good, but it varies more from lot to lot, and the cooked texture tends to be a bit firmer. Chinese glutinous rice is usually a short, round japonica type, which suits some dumplings but not Thai dishes. Italy and Spain grow a little glutinous rice too, with no import duty into the UK under the trade deal, but the volumes are tiny and the price is high.
Thai sticky rice sits in a good middle ground. There’s a lot of it, the quality is steady, the cooked rice is soft and glossy, and Thai exporters are used to UK paperwork. That’s why most glutinous rice wholesale UK buyers end up with Thai rice as their main line, sometimes with a second origin as backup. Our article on Thai rice vs Vietnamese rice goes into the wider comparison.
Private Label Sticky Rice for UK Brands
A lot of the growth in glutinous rice wholesale UK business is coming from smaller brands. Some sell online, some supply independent grocers, a few have got into mainstream supermarkets. They don’t want to run a mill. They want someone who can pack a good bag with their name on it and ship it on time.
That’s a big part of what we do. We can help with bag size, material and layout, and we’ll print from your approved artwork. Common formats for UK private label are 1 kg and 2 kg stand-up pouches, 1 kg vacuum packs that stack neatly, and 5 kg bags with a handle for trade customers. If you plan to sell in supermarkets, they’ll usually send their own specification and ask for an audit, and we’ll work through it with you.
Two things catch new brands out. The first is the UK address on the label, which has to be a real food business in the UK, not the Thai mill. The second is lead time. Printed bags take two to three weeks to make before we can even start packing. Allow for that in your launch plan.
Storage and Shelf Life in UK Warehouses
Sticky rice keeps well if it’s stored properly, but a long, warm voyage followed by a damp warehouse is not ideal. Here’s what we suggest to UK customers.
- Keep bags off the floor on pallets, away from outside walls.
- Aim for a cool, dry warehouse. Below about 20°C and away from damp is best.
- Rotate stock first in, first out. Older rice cooks a little firmer.
- Keep rice away from strong smells like spices and cleaning products. Rice picks up odours.
- Check for condensation inside the container on arrival before unloading.
Stored like this, our glutinous rice keeps its quality for 12 to 24 months. Glutinous rice wholesale UK customers who turn stock over every few months rarely see any problems at all.
How to Cook Sticky Rice: Advice for Your Customers
Many UK shoppers buy sticky rice for the first time and cook it like normal rice. It goes wrong. If you sell retail packs, it helps to print simple cooking steps on the bag, and we’re happy to include them in the artwork.
- Rinse the rice two or three times until the water runs mostly clear.
- Soak it in cold water for at least four hours, or overnight.
- Drain it well.
- Steam it over boiling water in a basket lined with muslin for about 20 to 25 minutes, turning it once halfway.
- It’s done when the grains are shiny, soft and stick together when pressed.
Restaurants already know this, but home cooks often don’t. Clear instructions mean fewer complaints and more repeat buyers for glutinous rice wholesale UK retailers.
Thai Varieties Worth Knowing
RD6 is the most famous Thai sticky rice, with a light fragrance like Hom Mali. San Pa Tong is a common non-fragrant variety from the north. Thai restaurants often like RD6 for mango sticky rice because of the aroma. Mochi makers usually prefer a non-fragrant variety. The Wikipedia article on glutinous rice explains why sticky rice behaves the way it does, and Thailand’s Rice Department has background on Thai varieties.
Seasonality
Thailand’s main harvest runs from about November to February. New crop is softer and stickier. UK demand jumps before Chinese New Year and the Dragon Boat Festival, and Thai restaurants are busy all year. With five weeks at sea, plan orders about two months before you need the rice in your warehouse. Our Thai rice harvest season article has more.
A Typical First Order
| Item | Example |
|---|---|
| Container | 1 x 20ft |
| Product | Thai glutinous rice 5% broken, current crop |
| Packing | 1 kg retail bags in cartons, plus 25 kg trade bags |
| Quantity | About 22 MT net |
| Pallets | Palletised and stretch wrapped |
| Terms | CIF Felixstowe |
| Payment | 30% T/T deposit, 70% against copy B/L |
| Lead time | About 3 to 4 weeks from deposit with printed bags |
Our usual minimum is one 20ft container, but mixed loads help smaller buyers. See the minimum order quantity page.
Common Problems and How We Avoid Them
- Residue failures. We test before loading against GB limits.
- Condensation on a long voyage. We dry to 14% or under, use liners and can add desiccants.
- Damaged cartons. Strong cartons, corner boards and stretch wrap on pallets.
- Wrong labels. Proofs approved before printing, with UK address details checked.
- Mixed varieties. We buy paddy by variety and keep lots apart.
- Insects. Fumigation before loading and clean containers.
Questions to Ask Any Supplier
- Do you mill the rice yourself or trade it?
- Can you test against GB pesticide limits before loading?
- Can you palletise retail cartons?
- Can I mix sticky rice with other rice in one container?
- Can I get a sample from the actual lot?
- Who inspects at loading?
Anyone serious about glutinous rice wholesale UK supply will answer these easily.
7 Proven Tips for Glutinous Rice Wholesale UK Buyers
- Check the commodity code. Whole and broken rice pay different duty.
- Test before shipping. Rejections at a UK port are slow and costly.
- Match the grade to the use. Use 25% broken for grinding, 5% for retail.
- Get labels right. UK address and English text are a must.
- Allow for transit. Five weeks at sea plus clearance.
- Mix containers if needed. It keeps stock fresh for smaller buyers.
- Stay with one mill. Your customers notice changes in texture.
How to Order
- Send grade, packing, quantity, label needs and port
- We reply with a price, spec sheet and loading window
- We agree terms and sign a contract
- You pay the deposit or open an L/C
- We mill, sort, test and pack
- The surveyor inspects and we load
- We send documents and track the vessel
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the minimum order for glutinous rice wholesale to the UK?
One 20ft container, which can be mixed with other rice types.
Do you print English retail labels?
Yes, from your artwork, with proofs sent first.
How long does shipping to Felixstowe take?
Usually about 28 to 35 days, plus time for customs clearance.
Is broken glutinous rice cheaper to import?
Usually. Broken rice is cheaper to buy and often falls under a lower duty code. Check the UK Trade Tariff for the current rate.
Can I get a sample?
Yes, 1 to 2 kg by courier with a recent lab report.
Talk to Us About Glutinous Rice Wholesale UK Supply
Send the grade, packing, quantity and port. We’ll come back with a firm price, spec sheet and loading date, usually within one working day.
Email info@dethairice.com, WhatsApp +66 81 034 6390, or use our contact page. You may also like jasmine rice suppliers Europe, sweet rice wholesale and bulk sticky rice supplier. You can read more about us too.
