SEMO graduate grows Scott City rice business into global operation
FOX23 News at 9 p.m
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., (KBSI) — A Southeast Missouri State University graduate has turned a family farm experiment into a growing agribusiness serving customers around the world.
Sam Schneider, a 2014 agribusiness graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, is the owner of Inland Cape Rice Company in Scott City, Missouri. The family-founded company farms, mills and packages U.S.-grown rice.
Schneider said the business began as a small effort to add value to his family’s farm by milling limited quantities of rice for gifts and local sales. The company officially launched in 2019, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic.
As demand for staple foods increased during the pandemic, Schneider said the company expanded its operations and built a rice processing and packaging facility in Scott City. The mill became fully operational in 2022.
Today, Inland Cape Rice works with 20 to 30 producers in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois and ships products throughout the United States, South America and Asia.
The company has also created local jobs. Plant manager Ben Ray, also a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University’s agriculture program, oversees milling operations.
Schneider said the region’s diverse agricultural base helped prepare him for entrepreneurship. The company is now developing a rice flour mill aimed at supplying gluten-free food manufacturers, pet food producers and specialty markets.
University officials say the company’s growth highlights the role of agricultural education and local industry partnerships in supporting regional economic development.
