A mid-sized meal-kit company in the Midwest was facing a familiar problem: cans of rice and grains added weight to their boxes, required manual draining and reheating, and limited shelf life. Customers sometimes complained about mushy textures or inconsistent cook times. To meet growing demand for convenient, restaurant-quality meals at home, the company turned to Seenergy Foods’ individually quick frozen (IQF) grains and quinoa.
The challenge with canned and shelf-stable grains
Meal kits depend on ingredients that are easy for home cooks to prepare, but canned rice and grain pouches created operational headaches. Each can weighed nearly a pound, adding shipping costs and creating bulky waste for customers. Draining and reheating changed the texture of the grains, and leftover product from multi-serve cans often went unused. Shelf-stable pouches solved some of the waste issues but still required microwave time and produced uneven results.
The IQF solution
Seenergy Foods offers pre-cooked, ready-to-eat grains that are individually quick frozen and portioned. IQF white and brown rice, wheat berries, couscous and tri-colour quinoa come in bags from 10 oz to 6 lb, cases up to 40 lb and totes up to 1,300 lb. Each product is Non-GMO, Kosher and processed in a GFSI/HACCP-approved facility. Because the grains are fully cooked, customers simply thaw or lightly sauté them—no draining or long cook times.
Implementation and benefits
The meal-kit provider introduced IQF brown rice and tri-colour quinoa into its recipes. Each portion was weighed and sealed into the recipe bag, eliminating the need for cans or shelf-stable pouches. In production tests the company found:
- Reduced shipping weight: replacing a 15-oz canned rice with a 10-oz IQF portion lowered package weight by 20 %, saving on freight.
- Simplified prep: customers could reheat the grains in a pan or microwave in under two minutes, with no draining or rinsing.
- Better texture: IQF grains maintained a fluffy, al dente bite through re-heating, which customers rated higher than canned equivalents.
- Longer shelf life: IQF products offered an 18-month frozen shelf lifelocalhost, allowing the company to pre-portion weeks in advance without spoilage.
Sustainability and customer feedback
Switching to IQF grains reduced packaging waste by eliminating cans and laminate pouches. The company also noted a 10 % decrease in customer complaints about mushy grains. In post-launch surveys, 86 % of customers said the new rice and quinoa bowls were “better” or “much better” than previous versions. Meanwhile, the fulfilment team appreciated the cleaner workflow—no more draining cans or dealing with liquid waste.
Conclusion
For meal-kit providers and other consumer food brands, IQF grains and quinoa offer a straightforward upgrade from shelf-stable ingredients. Ready-to-eat and portionable packaging reduce labour, waste and shipping weight, while delivering consistent texture and flavour. With Non-GMO, Kosher and GFSI/HACCP certifications and pack sizes ranging from portion bags to 1,300 lb totes, Seenergy Foods’ IQF grains help companies scale with confidence. To explore IQF grains for your product line, contact Seenergy Foods and request samples.