Kinish Secures 490 Million Yen Series A Funding for Rice-Based Dairy Alternatives

Kinish, a company developing dairy alternatives using rice as a primary ingredient, announced on October 20, 2026, that it has raised 490 million yen in a Series A first close through a private placement offering. The funding round was led by INSPiRE Mutualistic Symbiosis Fund 1, Shimadzu Future Innovation Fund (CVC of Shimadzu Corporation), Obayashi Corporation, and Canada-based Love Veggies Holding. This follows a 120 million yen seed round in February 2025.

Kinish's flagship product, The Rice Creamery, is a plant-based ice cream made primarily from rice, currently available in approximately 500 stores across Japan. The product was also sold in Washington, D.C., retail outlets and Meta's D.C. office in October 2025. Utilizing domestically grown rice, the company emphasizes its use of non-genetically modified rice varieties. The product, introduced in Tokyo stores and online in August 2025, claims to contain less than 120 kcal, 60% less sugar, and no milk or eggs. It expanded to Okinawa FamilyMart stores in December 2025.

The company has successfully developed a method to express casein, a milk protein, in rice. By combining this rice-derived protein with sweetness from rice starch, Kinish has created an ice cream product. The technology also enables the production of cheese alternatives with a smooth texture. For production, Kinish is advancing plant factory technology using short-stature rice plants (approximately 20 cm tall), achieving 2,079.7 grams of brown rice per square meter in three months. This compares to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' reference yield of 539 grams per square meter for traditional field cultivation (one crop per year).

BRIDGE reported the story, citing the company's focus on addressing challenges in dairy production due to climate change. Dairy cows are vulnerable to heat stress, which reduces milk yield and reproductive performance as temperatures rise. The company also highlights greenhouse gas emissions and resource demands in dairy farming as key issues. To accelerate U.S. expansion, Kinish has opened an office in New York, aiming to expand local production and retail partnerships. Ongoing efforts include rice variety improvements to increase casein content and scaling plant factory trials for mass production. Data-driven cultivation recipes are being optimized to refine production methods.

Funds will support The Rice Creamery's expansion in Japan and the U.S., advance research in plant factories and molecular agriculture, and strengthen hiring for management and business roles in both countries.