Dakota Ethanol
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersWentworth, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Dakota Ethanol does
Dakota Ethanol, LLC is a privately held South Dakota dry-mill ethanol producer founded in September 2001 and headquartered in Wentworth. It is wholly owned by Lake Area Corn Processors, LLC (LACP), a cooperative with more than 1,060 members comprising local corn producers, investors, and community participants. The company operates a single production facility that processes 33 million bushels of locally grown corn annually into approximately 100 million gallons of ethanol fuel and distillers grains sold as livestock feed, employing 48 full-time staff. Governance is provided by a board including Chairman Todd Brown, Vice-Chairman Ron Alverson, Secretary Randy Hansen, Treasurer Dave Wolles, and member representatives Kevin Minnaert, Wayne Backus, and Marty Thompson.
The underlying technology is conventional dry-mill corn ethanol production: corn is milled, fermented, and distilled into fuel-grade ethanol, with the residual mash dried and sold as protein-rich distillers grains. The firm supplements this core commodity output with a DTN-powered Online Offer Center that provides corn producers with cash bids, futures, and market news, and with industry-association engagement (American Coalition for Ethanol, Renewable Fuels Association) to support renewable fuel policy. The company is also actively pursuing Inflation Reduction Act Section 45Z clean fuel production credit eligibility, having deployed a CSA/45Z portal on its website linking the USDA Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator and issuing producer letters on CI scores.
Dakota Ethanol monetizes through commodity sales of ethanol to fuel distributors/blenders and distillers grains to the livestock feed industry, with pricing tied to prevailing market rates and not publicly disclosed. Membership equity is raised through the AgStockTrade investment platform, and member-owned economics distribute returns to local producers, investors, and community members. The business is operating, geographically focused on South Dakota and the broader Midwest United States, with no identified subsidiaries, no public ticker, and no institutional venture capital or private equity ownership.
Dakota Ethanol firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Dakota Ethanol
- Legal name
- Dakota Ethanol, LLC
- Website
- https://dakotaethanol.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Dakota Ethanol industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Ethanol Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Ethyl Alcohol Manufacturing (325193)
- SIC
- Grain Mill Products (2040)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Grain & Sugar-Based Ethanol Production (EUAAAHAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Biofuel Co-products & Byproduct Processing (DDGS, Glycerin, CO2, Lignin) (EUAAAHAJ)
Keywords
Where Dakota Ethanol is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wentworth
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Dakota Ethanol business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Ethanol Production: Produces and sells ethanol fuel from corn processing - the primary revenue stream generating 100 million gallons annually
- Distillers Grains: Sells high-quality distillers grains as livestock feed byproduct from ethanol production
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Dakota Ethanol product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Dakota Ethanol operates a corn dry milling ethanol production facility in Wentworth, South Dakota, processing 33 million bushels of locally grown corn annually into 100 million gallons of ethanol fuel. The process also yields high-protein distillers grains sold as livestock feed, making the plant a two-product biorefinery serving fuel and agricultural markets.
Product overview
Dakota Ethanol operates as an ethanol and agricultural co-products business with two core products: ethanol fuel (100 million gallons annually from 33 million bushels of corn) and Distillers Grains for livestock feed. The company also provides access to DTN's Online Offer Center for commodity trading and market information. The parent entity Lake Area Corn Processors, LLC manages membership with over 1,060 local producers and investors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Ethanol Fuel
- Distillers Grains
- DTN Online Offer Center
Quantifiable outcome
- 100 million gallons ethanol produced annually from 33 million bushels of corn
Companies that use Dakota Ethanol
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Dakota Ethanol technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Dakota Ethanol partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Lake Area Corn Processors, LLC (LACP)coreMember-owned cooperative with 1060+ members including local producers, investors, and community members. LACP members supply corn to Dakota Ethanol and receive investment returns.
- American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE)coreIndustry association supporting ethanol producers through policy advocacy and market development
- Renewable Fuels AssociationcoreTrade association representing ethanol producers and advocating for renewable fuel policies
- AgStockTrademajorInvestment platform enabling individuals to become members and invest in Dakota Ethanol through 1-800-859-3018
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Dakota Ethanol competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- POET: POET is the largest US ethanol producer with a network of biorefineries producing corn ethanol and distillers grains; comparable to Dakota Ethanol in core dry-mill ethanol production, though operating at substantially greater scale and with downstream bioproduct diversification.
- Archer Daniels Midland (ADM): ADM operates one of the largest integrated corn-ethanol platforms globally, producing ethanol and distillers grains alongside its grain origination and animal nutrition businesses; relevant because of overlap in ethanol manufacturing and the co-product distillers grains market Dakota Ethanol serves.
- Flint Hills Resources: Flint Hills Resources operates corn ethanol plants and is a larger incumbent in the renewable fuels space; comparable to Dakota Ethanol on the production of fuel-grade ethanol from corn and on participation in biofuel policy/advocacy ecosystems.
- Valero Energy: Valero operates a large ethanol segment in addition to its refining business, producing conventional ethanol through dry-mill plants; comparable because it produces the same commodity fuel-grade ethanol from corn and competes with Dakota Ethanol for blending offtake.
- Cargill: Cargill is a major agricultural commodities firm with ethanol manufacturing capacity alongside grain origination and animal feed operations; comparable due to overlap in corn ethanol production and the distillers grains feed market that serves Dakota Ethanol's livestock feed customers.
Emerging players
- Western New York Energy: Western New York Energy is a smaller community-oriented ethanol producer operating a dry-mill plant producing ethanol and distillers grains; comparable in scale and mid-market operating model to Dakota Ethanol, though geographically separate.
- Aventine Renewable Energy: Aventine Renewable Energy is a mid-market US corn ethanol producer with similar dry-mill ethanol and distillers grains output; peer-relevant because the product mix, technology base, and downstream feed-customer orientation closely mirror Dakota Ethanol's operations.
Direct peers
- Green Plains Inc. Green Plains is a publicly traded corn ethanol producer with multiple US plants producing ethanol, distillers grains, and corn oil; highly comparable to Dakota Ethanol on core product mix (ethanol + distillers grains) and operating model (corn dry milling with co-product monetization).
- Alto Ingredients (formerly Pacific Ethanol): Alto Ingredients operates a fleet of corn ethanol production facilities producing fuel ethanol and distillers grains; directly comparable as a multi-plant mid-market dry-mill ethanol producer with a similar product mix to Dakota Ethanol.
Regional players
- The Andersons, Inc. The Andersons operates grain and ethanol assets in the Midwest including ethanol production and corn origination; relevant as a regional Midwest competitor that both sources corn from local producers and produces ethanol and distillers grains in the same geography as Dakota Ethanol.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Dakota Ethanol social profiles
Digital presenceDakota Ethanol financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Dakota Ethanol leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Dakota Ethanol funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Dakota Ethanol M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Dakota Ethanol
What does Dakota Ethanol do?
Dakota Ethanol operates a corn dry milling ethanol production facility in Wentworth, South Dakota, processing 33 million bushels of locally grown corn annually into 100 million gallons of ethanol fuel. The process also yields high-protein distillers grains sold as livestock feed, making the plant a two-product biorefinery serving fuel and agricultural markets.
Is Dakota Ethanol a public or private company?
Dakota Ethanol is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Dakota Ethanol founded?
Dakota Ethanol was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Dakota Ethanol based?
Dakota Ethanol is headquartered in Wentworth, United States, in the North America region.
How does Dakota Ethanol make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Ethanol Production is the primary driver. The others are distillers Grains.
Who are Dakota Ethanol's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are POET, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Flint Hills Resources, Valero Energy and Cargill. Emerging players are Western New York Energy and Aventine Renewable Energy. Direct peers are Green Plains Inc. and Alto Ingredients (formerly Pacific Ethanol). The Andersons, Inc. is listed as a regional player.
Does Dakota Ethanol have an API?
No public API is recorded for Dakota Ethanol.
What industry is Dakota Ethanol in?
Dakota Ethanol's product category is Ethanol Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAAAHAA, Grain & Sugar-Based Ethanol Production, with a secondary code of EUAAAHAJ, Biofuel Co-products & Byproduct Processing (DDGS, Glycerin, CO2, Lignin). Its NAICS code is 325193 and its SIC code is 2040.