Renewable Products Marketing

What Renewable Products Marketing does

RPMG (Renewable Products Marketing Group, LLC) is a private ethanol marketing intermediary founded in 1996 in Shakopee, Minnesota, by two ethanol producer plants seeking economies of scale in selling their output. The firm markets fuel ethanol, dried distillers grains (DDGs), distillers corn oil, and — since 2020 — high-purity specialty alcohols and the ALTIPRO 50% protein feed ingredient, on behalf of approximately 19 ethanol producer plants whose combined output exceeds 2 billion gallons of ethanol, 2.5 million tons of DDG, and 650 million pounds of corn oil annually. RPMG sells exclusively to B2B enterprise buyers: oil refiners, animal feed end users (domestic and export), biodiesel feedstock buyers, specialty alcohol customers in food and pharmaceutical markets, and feed ingredient distributors.

The company's revenue model is transaction-fee intermediation across each of its four product lines, supported by an in-house logistics platform that manages over 28,000 railcars, 75,000 trucks, and 450 unit trains per year across approximately 65 million miles of annual transport. Distribution is multimodal — rail direct, truckload, rack authorization, barge loading, terminal tank transfers, and vessel loading — with real-time order, railcar, and carrier visibility shared with producer plants and end buyers. The go-to-market is relationship-driven sales staffed by 45+ employees, predominantly former Cargill, ADM, CHS, and Purina/Land O Lakes veterans, and includes a dedicated compliance function covering RFS2 and LCFS regulatory regimes.

RPMG has grown entirely organically since founding — no acquisitions, no external investors, no funding rounds, and no disclosed partnerships are present in the input data. Strategic expansion has come through product line additions (co-products in 2008, specialty alcohol and ALTIPRO feed in 2020) and incremental plant onboarding rather than M&A or geographic pivots. Leadership is stable and industry-tenured: CEO Doug Punke (27 years Cargill, including VP of Energy Risk Management), COO Steve Dietz (ex-ADM and Golden Grain Energy), and CFO Paula Rheault (ex-CFO Minnesota Energy) anchor an experienced bench that includes dedicated regulatory, technical (Phil Phillips, ex-Cargill Malt), and nutrition (David Pascoe, PhD, ex-Cargill Animal Nutrition) specialists.

Name

Renewable Products Marketing

Legal name

Renewable Products Marketing Group, LLC

Website

https://rpmgllc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RPMG is a Minnesota-based ethanol marketing intermediary founded in 1996 that markets fuel ethanol, distillers grains, corn oil, specialty alcohols, and high-protein feed on behalf of approximately 19 ethanol producer plants producing over 2 billion gallons annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Shakopee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ethanol Marketing Services: RPMG provides marketing and supply services to ethanol plants, marketing their production to end consumers. The company acts as an intermediary providing transparent trade information, logistics management, and compliance support.
2. Co-Products Marketing (DDGs): Marketing of dried distillers grains from producer to end user with no mark up. Services include arranging trucking, billing, tracing cars, inventory management, market intelligence, and transparent transaction reporting.
3. Corn Oil Marketing: Marketing distillers corn oil from ethanol plants. RPMG markets corn oil in a completely transparent manner allowing each plant to see all trade information including price, quantity, and buyer. Also manages logistics including transportation costs.
4. High Purity & Specialty Alcohol: Added in 2020, marketing specialty ethanol products including USP Alcohol, FCC Ethyl Alcohol for food applications, and Specially Denatured Alcohols (SDAs) and Completely Denatured Alcohols (CDAs).
5. Denaturant Group Buying Program: Group buying program for denaturant, providing cost efficiencies for member plants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

RPMG is an ethanol marketing intermediary that markets ethanol, dried distillers grains (DDGs), and distillers corn oil produced by member ethanol plants to end consumers. The company provides transparent trade information, logistics management, RINS/LCFS/RFS2 compliance support, and a denaturant group buying program. RPMG also markets specialty high-purity and USP grade alcohol and the ALTIPRO high-protein feed ingredient, supported by real-time railcar and truck logistics tracking.

Product overview

RPMG is an ethanol marketing company offering a unified portfolio of products and services centered on ethanol production and co-products. Core offerings include Fuel Ethanol marketing, Distillers Corn Oil, Dried Distillers Grain (DDG/DDGS), and specialty High Purity & USP Grade Alcohol. The company expanded in 2020 to include ALTIPRO 50% Protein Feed Ingredient. Logistics services providing real-time railcar and truck management complement the marketing business. The company serves 19 ethanol plants producing over 2 billion gallons annually, markets DDG for 15 plants (2.5 million tons annually), and corn oil for 16 plants (over 650 million pounds annually).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ALTIPRO™: 50% Protein Feed Ingredient - a high protein feed ingredient providing highly bioavailable amino acids and minerals, an innovative alternative fermented corn protein technology.

Products and services

• Fuel Ethanol Marketing Marketing services for fuel ethanol produced by member ethanol plants, providing flexible delivery capabilities including rail direct, truckloads, rack authorizations, barge loading, terminal tank transfers, and vessel loading. Includes compliance support for RINS, CI Values, LCFS, exports, and pricing flexibility. Currently markets ethanol for 19 plants producing over 2 billion gallons annually.
• Distillers Corn Oil Marketing Marketing of distillers corn oil from ethanol plants, used as animal feed additive or feedstock for renewable biodiesel production. Provides full transparency on trade information (price, quantity, buyer, transportation costs). Manages 16 ethanol plants with annual production of 650 million pounds.
• Dried Distillers Grain (DDG/DDGS) Marketing Marketing of dry, wet, and modified DDGs from producer to end user with no mark up. Services include arranging trucking, billing, tracing railcars, inventory management, market intelligence, and transparent transaction reporting for local, domestic, and export customers. Markets DDG for 15 plants producing 2.5+ million tons annually.
• High Purity and USP Grade Alcohol Marketing Marketing of specialty ethanol products including USP Alcohol, FCC Ethyl Alcohol for food applications, and Specially Denatured Alcohols (SDAs) and Completely Denatured Alcohols (CDAs) for industrial, pharmaceutical, and food applications.
• ALTIPRO 50% Protein Feed Ingredient High protein feed ingredient (50% protein) providing highly bioavailable amino acids and minerals via innovative fermented corn protein technology. Used in swine, poultry, dairy, aqua, and pet feed applications as an alternative protein source.
• Logistics Services Real-time logistics management for ethanol and co-product marketing, including railcar and truck management, order management, and carrier tracking with real-time data on customer and carrier order status. Manages over 28,000 railcars, 75,000 trucks, and 450 unit trains per year with approximately 65 million miles of annual travel.
• Denaturant Group Buying Program Group buying program for denaturant used in ethanol production, providing cost efficiencies and aggregated purchasing power for member ethanol plants.

Quantifiable outcome

• Marketing ethanol for 19 plants producing over 2 billion gallons annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cargill: Cargill is a global commodity merchandiser that markets its own ethanol production (via Cargill Corn Milling) and trades third-party ethanol volumes. RPMG's senior leadership team is heavily Cargill-trained, making it a key competitive and customer overlap.
• CHS Inc. CHS is a large agribusiness cooperative that markets ethanol, DDGs, and other grain-derived products—overlapping with RPMG in commodity trading, DDG merchandising, and producer relationships. Several RPMG staff previously worked at CHS.
• Vitol: Vitol is one of the world's largest independent commodity traders with a meaningful U.S. ethanol and biofuel trading book. It competes with RPMG for placement of physical ethanol volumes and represents a global-capital-backed competitor.
• ADM (Archer Daniels Midland): ADM is a global agribusiness major that produces and markets ethanol, DDGs, and corn oil—competing with RPMG both as a marketer and as a vertically integrated ethanol producer.
• The Andersons: The Andersons operates an ethanol marketing and distribution business alongside its core grain and plant nutrient operations, serving similar ethanol producers and overlapping on logistics, rack sales, and co-product merchandising.

Direct peers

• Green Plains Inc. Green Plains is a major U.S. ethanol producer that has built out its own internal marketing, commodity trading, and high-protein ingredient capabilities (e.g., Green Plains Partners). It represents both a customer-type and a competitive threat to RPMG.
• Alto Ingredients (formerly Pacific Ethanol): Alto Ingredients operates ethanol production facilities and markets specialty alcohol products (USP grade, industrial alcohols)—directly overlapping with RPMG's specialty alcohol business launched in 2020.
• United Energy Trading: United Energy Trading is a wholesale distributor and marketer of ethanol and refined petroleum products, competing with RPMG in fuel ethanol placement, logistics, and rack sales to downstream buyers.
• Eco-Energy: Eco-Energy is one of the largest U.S. ethanol and biofuel marketing intermediaries, marketing ethanol and related products for producers nationwide. It is the closest direct peer to RPMG in business model, customer base, and service scope.

Emerging players

• Eco-Products Distribution / United Bio Energy: Smaller regional ethanol marketing intermediaries that compete with RPMG for independent producer mandates, particularly in the Midwest, with similar transactional fee economics but narrower geographic or product reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rpmgllc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 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 Renewable Products Marketing