Japan’s Kinish Closes $3.09 Mn to Expand Rice-Based Dairy Alternatives

The round includes investments from INSPiRE Mutualistic Symbiosis Fund 1, Shimadzu Future Innovation Fund, Obayashi Corporation, and Canada-based Love Veggies Holding Ltd.

Kinish to Expand Rice-Based Ice Cream Business

Kinish develops dairy alternatives using rice as a key ingredient. Its current product, The Rice Creamery, is a plant-based ice cream available in approximately 500 stores across Japan.

The company plans to expand the product’s sales in Japan and the United States. To support its US expansion, Kinish has opened an office in New York to strengthen local production, retail distribution, and brand awareness.

The company aims to offer alternatives to conventional dairy products while exploring new ways to produce milk proteins using rice plants.

Funding to Support Research and Expansion

Kinish will use the newly raised capital to expand The Rice Creamery’s market presence, invest in vertical farming and molecular farming research, and hire additional employees.

Molecular farming is a technology that uses plants to produce specific proteins and other useful substances. Kinish is developing rice plants capable of producing casein, a protein commonly found in cow’s milk.

The company says it has successfully produced casein using rice. However, this technology is still under development, and large-scale commercial production remains a key challenge.

Previous Funding and Growth Plans

The Series A funding follows Kinish’s seed funding round of approximately $923,100 in 2025. The latest investment will help the company develop its existing consumer business while continuing research into rice-derived dairy proteins.

Kinish is entering a market where food technology companies are exploring alternatives to traditional dairy production. Conventional dairy farming faces challenges related to greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, feed requirements, and the impact of rising temperatures on milk production.

About Kinish

Kinish is a Japan-based food technology startup developing rice-based dairy alternatives. Its product portfolio includes The Rice Creamery, a plant-based ice cream sold in Japan. The company is also researching molecular farming techniques to produce casein using engineered rice plants.

Through its expansion into the US market and continued investment in research and development, Kinish aims to build its consumer food business and advance alternative methods of producing dairy proteins.

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