Zeeland Farm Services

What Zeeland Farm Services does

Zeeland Farm Services, Inc. (ZFS) is a privately held, family-owned agribusiness founded in 1950 and headquartered in Zeeland, Michigan. The company operates an integrated grain-to-shelf value chain spanning grain origination and merchandising (corn, wheat, soybeans), soybean processing, edible oil refining, feed ingredient production (soybean meal and hulls), specialty seed programs (ZFSelect non-GMO identity-preserved soybeans), ethanol and biodiesel production, branded consumer food products (the Zoye premium soybean oil line and But-R-Lite butter alternative), and direct-to-consumer E85 fuel retail (Anew Fuel Services). Operating subsidiaries include ZFS Ithaca (Michigan's largest soybean processing facility at 40+ million bushels annually on 435 acres), ZFS Creston (Iowa, acquired 2018), Nebraska Corn Processing and Pennsylvania Grain Processing (ethanol plants acquired in 2009 and 2012), Zeeland Food Services (oil refinery), and Zeeland Freight Services (transportation).

ZFS serves four primary customer segments: farmers and agricultural producers selling crops and purchasing feed inputs; food manufacturers procuring non-GMO verified ingredients; livestock producers purchasing soy-based feed; and international export customers including 20-year Japanese partnerships with Kikkoman, Nisshin OlliO, and Nisshin Shokai. The company is Michigan's only soybean processor and operates the state's only soybean oil refinery, with combined in-state capacity processing roughly half of Michigan's soybean production. Revenue is generated through transaction-fee-based commodity sales across all streams; pricing is not publicly disclosed, with business customers entering credit-based relationships via a downloadable credit application.

The technology footprint is anchored in physical processing infrastructure rather than software. ZFS holds Non-GMO Project verification, ProTerra Standard, and SQF certifications. The Ithaca facility is powered by landfill methane captured from a nearby site, with LEED-certified offices and excess electricity sold to Consumers Energy. The company maintains no AI/ML capability signals and does not publish financials, employee-level detail, or formal pricing models.

Name

Zeeland Farm Services

Legal name

Zeeland Farm Services, Inc.

Website

https://zfsinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Zeeland Farm Services is a family-owned agribusiness operating since 1950 across Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania, providing soybean processing, edible oil refining, grain merchandising, ethanol production, and branded consumer food products (Zoye) to farmers, food manufacturers, and international export customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Soybean Processing and Agricultural Commodities

NAICS

Soybean Farming (11111), Oilseed and Grain Combination Farming (111191), Farm Product Warehousing and Storage (493130)

SIC

Grain Mill Products (2040), Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Grain Handling & Farmgate Services (Retailer/Co-op Adjacent) (AFABAJAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Supply Chain, Marketing & Contracting Advisory (Grain/Livestock Marketing) (AFACAJAH)

Keywords

• Soybean processing
• Grain merchandising
• Feed ingredients
• Vegetable oil refining
• Agricultural commodities

Headquarters

HQ city

Zeeland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Commodity Sales: Buying, selling and transporting corn, wheat and soybeans. Core grain merchandising business serving farmers.
2. Soybean Processing: Processing soybeans into oil, meal, flakes, flour and hulls for food manufacturers and agricultural producers.
3. Biofuels Marketing: Ethanol and biodiesel production and marketing through facilities in Nebraska and Pennsylvania. E85 fuel sales through Anew Fuel Services stations.
4. Consumer Food Products: Sale of branded consumer products including Zoye premium vegetable oils sold at Meijer and Spartan Stores.
5. Feed Ingredients: Production and sale of soybean meal and hulls for livestock feed.
6. Export: Commodity export operations serving international customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Zeeland Farm Services is a family-owned agribusiness that buys, stores, and merchandises grain (corn, wheat, soybeans), processes soybeans into oil, meal, hulls, flakes, and flour, and operates ethanol/biodiesel production facilities. It sells branded consumer food products under the Zoye label through retail grocery channels, supplies non-GMO ingredients to food manufacturers, and provides freight and export services for agricultural commodities.

Product overview

Zeeland Farm Services is a diversified agribusiness offering an integrated portfolio of agricultural products and services. The core operations include soybean processing and oil refining (producing Zoye® premium vegetable oils and non-GMO ingredients), grain storage and merchandising, feed ingredients, and specialty seeds. The company operates Michigan's only soybean processing plant and operates additional facilities including ZFS Ithaca (processing over 40 million bushels annually) and ZFS Creston in Iowa. Products span consumer food brands (Zoye oils and But-R-Lite), ingredients (soybean meal, flour, hulls), agricultural inputs (specialty seeds), and biofuels (ethanol/E85, biodiesel). The portfolio connects farm-to-consumer through grain handling, processing, refining, and branded retail products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zoye: Premium line of non-GMO soybean oils including Zoye Premium Low-Sat Soybean Oil, Zoye Everyday Salad and Cooking Oil, Zoye Premium Vegetable Oil, and specialty soybean oils. Available at Meijer and Spartan Stores.
• But-R-Lite
• Anew Fuel Services
• ZFS Ithaca
• ZFS Creston

Products and services

• Zoye Premium Vegetable Oils A branded line of premium soybean oils including Premium Low-Sat Soybean Oil, Everyday Salad and Cooking Oil, Premium Vegetable Oil, Premium Low-Sat Salad and Cooking Oil, Non-GMO Soybean Oil, and Premium Ultra Low-Lin Liquid Fry Oil. Sold to retail consumers through grocery channels such as Meijer and Spartan Stores.
• Zoye But-R-Lite

Quantifiable outcome

• Processing 50 million bushels of soybeans annually - roughly half the soybeans grown in Michigan
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kikkoman CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 202020-year partnership relationship with Kikkoman Corporation as part of Japanese business partnerships including Nisshin OlliO Group, Ltd. and Nisshin Shokai Co., Ltd. Companies celebrated two decades of business together in February 2020.
• Nisshin OlliO Group, Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 202020-year partnership relationship celebrating two decades of business with Japanese partners including Kikkoman Corporation and Nisshin Shokai Co., Ltd. in February 2020.
• Nisshin Shokai Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 202020-year partnership with Japanese companies for soybean product distribution and business relationships.
• CHS Inc.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 April 2018ZFS Creston, LLC purchased a soybean processing facility, soy flour mill, grain elevator, and non-GMO soybean inventories in Creston, Iowa from CHS Inc.
• Anew Fuel ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAnew Fuel Services operates E85 ethanol fuel stations at ZFS corporate campus. Anew is an unmanned fuel center selling E85 under the Yellow Hose program, open 24/7. Anew pledges to keep E85 price at least 70 cents per gallon lower than regular gasoline.
• Michigan State University (Dr. Ramani Narayan)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZFS has supported the research work of MSU professor Dr. Ramani Narayan for 10 years on soy-based alternatives to petroleum-derived plastics. ZFS helped secure state funding and provides raw materials like soy meal and hulls.
• Michigan Soybean Promotion CommitteeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative relationship for soybean industry research and promotion activities including Brazil soybean study tour.
• Greater Gratiot Development, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for ZFS Ithaca facility development including planning and development assistance.
• Michigan Economic Development Corp.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState economic development agency partnership for ZFS Ithaca soybean processing facility.
• Consumers EnergyminorOthersExcess electricity generated from methane-powered operations sold to Consumers Energy.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bunge Limited: Global oilseed processor and grain merchandiser. Directly comparable core activity (soybean crush, oil/meal marketing) but with a worldwide origination and logistics network ZFS cannot match.
• Cargill: Private global agribusiness across grain, oilseeds, ethanol, animal nutrition, and food ingredients. Broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities at scale ZFS cannot match.
• Perdue Farms: Vertically integrated agribusiness spanning grain, feed, livestock, and branded foods. Comparable family-owned private structure and integrated feed-to-food model, though diversified across proteins.
• Louis Dreyfus Company: Global merchandiser and processor of oilseeds, grains, and related commodities. Comparable end-to-end value chain but with international scale and capital far exceeding ZFS.
• Archer Daniels Midland (ADM): Global agribusiness giant with oilseed processing, grain merchandising, ethanol, and food ingredients. Overlaps broadly with ZFS across every business line but operates at vastly larger scale.
• Ingredion Incorporated: Specialty ingredient manufacturer serving food and beverage customers with plant-based ingredients. Overlaps with ZFS's Zoye/meal/flake product line serving food manufacturers.

Direct peers

• Batory Foods: Specialty ingredient distributor serving food manufacturers with non-GMO, organic, and specialty items including soy products. Comparable in serving the same food-manufacturer customer base with similar specialty-ingredient positioning.
• The Andersons, Inc. Mid-cap US agribusiness with grain merchandising, ethanol, plant nutrients, and specialty ingredients. Closely comparable business model to ZFS across grain, processing, and renewable fuels.
• SunOpta: Specialty plant-based ingredient supplier focused on non-GMO, organic, and identity-preserved ingredients including soy. Highly comparable to ZFS's non-GMO Zoye and ingredient portfolio.
• CHS Inc. Largest US agribusiness cooperative; grain origination, oilseed processing, ethanol, and food ingredients. Directly comparable — CHS previously owned and sold ZFS the Creston, Iowa soybean processing facility, confirming overlap in operations and scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/zfsinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/zfsinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/850878

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zeeland Farm Services