Purpose – Rhineland leadership practices contrast sharply with the prevailing Anglo/US business model of short-term maximization of profitability, and are said to lead to greater corporate sustainability, at least in highly developed economies. However, the applicability of Rhineland leadership to less developed economies has not yet been demonstrated. This paper studies between the business practices of an enterprise that delivers instant noodle and biscuit products in Thailand and Avery’s 19 sustainable leadership practices derived from Rhineland enterprises. Design/methodology/approach – Adopting a case study approach, multi-data collection methods included non-participant observations made during visits to the enterprise, and reference to internal and published documentation and information. Semi-structured interview sessions were held with many stakeholders, including president and nine department managers, staff and customers. Findings – In the Thai food organisation studied, evidence was found for compliance with 18 of Avery’s 19 sustainable leadership elements, but to varying degrees. The elements were grouped into six core sets of practices: adopting a long-term perspective, staff development, organisational culture, innovation, social responsibility, and ethical behaviour. The paper concludes that Avery’s 19 Rhineland practices provide a useful framework for evaluating the corporate sustainability of this Thai enterprise. Practical implications – Food enterprises in Thailand and possibly in other Asian countries that wish to sustain their organisational success could adopt Avery’s 19 Sustainable Leadership Grid elements to examine their leadership practices, and adjust them to become more sustainable. Originality/value – The relevance of Rhineland sustainable leadership principles to enterprises in less developed economies remains to be investigated. This study attempts to uncover this unknown. Keywords Leadership; sustainable leadership; Thailand