Homeland Energy Solutions

What Homeland Energy Solutions does

Homeland Energy Solutions, LLC operates a single dry-mill ethanol production facility in Lawler, Iowa, that has run continuously since 2009. The plant is designed to process 66.6 million bushels of corn per year into more than 200 million gallons of fuel-grade ethanol (198 proof) at a 3.0:1 conversion ratio, plus three co-products: Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles (DDGS, ~1,150 tons/day), corn oil recovered from thin stillage via stack-disc centrifuges, and condensed syrup (41–43% solids) that feeds back into DDGS. The process train uses ICM-engineered fermentation (eight fermenters, ~780,000 gallons per batch), three-column distillation (beer, rectifier, side stripper), molecular-sieve dehydration, and gas-fired drying with thermal oxidizer VOC destruction.

Revenue is generated through wholesale commodity sales. Ethanol (~98% railed out in 80-car unit trains to the Northeast US via marketer RPMG) is the primary stream; DDGS (~80% exported internationally) and corn oil (animal feed or biodiesel feedstock) provide secondary revenue, with syrup consumed internally to produce DDGS. Corn is procured directly from farmers and elevators within a 100-mile radius across 15 counties of Northeast Iowa and Southeast Minnesota, priced on daily grain bids with quality-based discounts for moisture, damage, foreign material, and test weight.

The company is a member-owned LLC with no institutional venture or private equity backing. It maintains a 10-person board of directors (Chair Leslie Hansen, Vice Chair Pat Boyle, plus eight directors and an HR director), roughly 70 employees, and an investor-relations portal enabling unit trading through AgStockTrade.com. Customer-facing digital channels include a mobile grain app (iOS/Android, launched 2023), daily email bids and text notifications, and a Facebook/LinkedIn presence. Capital investments in 2014–2015 (~$6 million across an ICM degassing system, Nelson Engineering liquefaction/fermenter additions, a third storage tank, and a third rail loadout) drove a doubling of capacity from the original 100-million-gallon design.

Name

Homeland Energy Solutions

Legal name

Homeland Energy Solutions, LLC

Website

https://homelandenergysolutions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Homeland Energy Solutions is a member-owned Iowa ethanol producer operating a single 200-million-gallon-per-year dry-mill facility in Lawler that converts locally sourced corn into fuel-grade ethanol, DDGS animal feed, and corn oil for regional producers and global commodity markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ethanol Manufacturing

NAICS

Ethyl Alcohol Manufacturing (325193)

SIC

Grain Mill Products (2040)

akta.pro primary industry

Grain & Sugar-Based Ethanol Production (EUAAAHAA)

Keywords

• Ethanol production
• Renewable fuel manufacturing
• Dried distillers grains
• Corn oil extraction
• Biofuel processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Lawler

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ethanol Sales: Primary revenue stream from producing and selling fuel-grade ethanol. Ethanol is stored in three 1.5 million gallon tanks and loaded out via tank trucks or railcars. Approximately 98% of ethanol leaves via rail in 80-car unit trains to the Northeast US.
2. Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles (DDGS): Co-product from ethanol production used as animal feed. Production of approximately 1150 tons per day. In 2015, 80% of DDGS was exported internationally.
3. Corn Oil: Corn oil recovered from thin stillage stream via stack disc centrifuges (9-10 gpm), sold for animal feed or biodiesel feedstock
4. Syrup: Concentrated syrup (41-43% solids) from evaporators, combined with wet cake to produce DDGS

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Homeland Energy Solutions is a corn-processing biorefinery that manufactures fuel-grade ethanol from locally procured corn using dry-mill fermentation and ICM-designed process technology. In addition to ethanol, the facility produces co-products including dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS), corn oil, and syrup, which are sold as animal feed and industrial feedstocks.

Product overview

Homeland Energy Solutions is an ethanol production company operating a single ethanol processing facility in Lawler, Iowa. The company produces fuel-grade ethanol as its primary product, along with three co-products: Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles (DDGS) for animal feed, corn oil for animal feed/biodiesel, and syrup. The company offers a mobile application for grain producers to access bids and manage accounts. Operations began in 2009 with expansion to 200 million gallon annual capacity using a 3.0:1 corn-to-ethanol conversion ratio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fuel-Grade Ethanol Denatured fuel-grade ethanol produced from corn via dry-mill fermentation, distillation, and molecular sieve dehydration; sold to fuel blenders, refiners, and downstream fuel markets for use as a gasoline oxygenate and renewable fuel blendstock.
• Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles (DDGS) High-protein dried distillers grains with solubles, a co-product of the ethanol production process, sold as a livestock and poultry feed ingredient to feed mills, ranchers, and exporters.
• Corn Oil Corn oil extracted as a co-product during the ethanol production process, sold to industrial buyers and feedstock markets for use in feed, biodiesel, and other industrial applications.
• Syrup (CDS - Condensed Distillers Solubles) Condensed distillers solubles (syrup), a co-product of ethanol production, sold as a liquid feed ingredient blended into or sold alongside DDGS for livestock feed applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Increased income of approximately $1,850,000 to $2,960,000 annually to regional participating producers from value-added corn processing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nelson EngineeringcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2015$5,250,000 contract with Nelson Engineering (Sioux Falls, SD) to address processing constraints by adding a third liquefaction tank and eighth fermenter to increase front-end residence time for enzyme activity.
• ICM (Innovation Center for Corn)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2014ICM, designer of the original plant, executed a $550,000 contract in October 2014 to design and construct a degassing system to remove entrained CO2 in the liquid stream fed to distillation. Partnership continued from initial plant design through capacity improvements.
• RPMG (Renewable Products Marketing Group)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEthanol marketer handling logistics and distribution of ethanol products. Discussions ongoing regarding railcar and locomotive availability leveraging Homeland's improved logistics infrastructure.
• AgStockTrade.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party platform providing buy-sell offers for unit trading, integrated into Homeland's investor relations portal.
• PaylocityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party HR and recruiting platform used for job postings. Applicants are directed to Paylocity's website to view and apply for positions.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Western New York Energy: Member-owned ethanol cooperative similar in structure to Homeland, producing ~60M gallons of ethanol annually. Closely comparable cooperative/governance model and regional Midwest/Northeast orientation.
• Valero Renewable Fuels: Subsidiary of Valero Energy operating 12+ ethanol plants with ~1.7 billion gallons capacity. Direct peer in fuel-grade ethanol manufacturing and rail-based distribution to Northeast and Southeast U.S. markets.
• Green Plains Inc. Public corn ethanol producer operating multiple plants across the Midwest with a focus on high-protein feed and corn oil. Closest publicly traded comparable to Homeland's corn-to-ethanol + co-product model.
• Alto Ingredients: Formerly Pacific Ethanol; operates multiple Midwest ethanol plants producing fuel ethanol, DDGS, and corn oil. Closely comparable in scale and product mix to Homeland Energy Solutions.
• Aemetis: Renewable fuels company with corn ethanol and renewable diesel/dairy biogas operations. Comparable in the corn ethanol processing segment and in the strategic pursuit of low-carbon/SAF pathways.
• POET Biorefining: The largest U.S. ethanol producer with 28+ plants and a fully integrated bioproducts platform. Direct competitor in corn-based ethanol production with overlapping customer (corn producer) and offtake channels.

Others

• ICM (Innovation Center for the Heartland / ICM Inc.): Engineering firm that designed Homeland's original plant and continues to provide process improvements. Strategic technology partner and shared technology stack makes it a relevant ecosystem peer rather than a competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Flint Hills Resources: Koch subsidiary operating ethanol plants alongside refining and chemicals. A large incumbent competitor in corn ethanol with diversified energy and feedstock operations.
• Cargill: One of the largest private agribusiness firms, with ethanol and corn processing operations across the Midwest. Overlaps with Homeland on grain origination, ethanol production, and animal feed co-products.
• Archer Daniels Midland (ADM): Global agribusiness major that processes corn and produces ethanol among many other products. Comparable as both a corn buyer/processor and a producer of DDGS and corn-based co-products.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/790029374436252
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/homeland-energy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Homeland Energy Solutions