What Cie does

CIE is a Marion, Indiana-headquartered producer of grain-based, high-purity specialty alcohols, operating as a privately held U.S. corporation founded in 2004. It produces high-quality grain neutral spirits using a proprietary 9-column distillation configuration targeted at removing unwanted impurities and odors, supported by an in-house 18-member daily organoleptic testing panel. CIE runs as a zero-loss agricultural refiner, converting every pound of corn feedstock into a portfolio of alcohol products, animal feed (DDGS), corn oil, and food-grade carbon dioxide, with 5 million bushels of corn storage on its Marion campus and 100% process water reuse. The company operates two distilleries (Marion, IN and Norfolk, NE) and a dedicated sales office in Carmel, IN.

The company's product portfolio is organized into six application-specific verticals: spirits (craft and global brands), beauty and personal care, food flavor and fragrance, hemp/CBD extraction, medical/life science, and industrial. Each vertical is backed by rigorous certifications including FSSC 22000, ISO 9001:2015, Q7 GMP (ISO 13485), EXCiPACT, FSMA, USP, FCC, Kosher, and Gluten Free. CIE maintains controlled chain-of-custody through an owned trailer fleet, dedicated railcars, ISO-tanks, and custom-built loading skids, with multi-mode delivery options (railcar, truck, ISO-tank, tote, drum) sized to customer needs.

CIE generates revenue primarily through direct B2B sales of high-purity alcohols and co-products to enterprise customers across its verticals, with dedicated field-sales teams providing technical and regulatory support. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quoted against customer-specified proof, purity, denaturant, and performance requirements. Distribution is exclusively direct, with the company's U.S. spirits business identified as the fastest-growing segment and supported by board-level participation in the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS).

Name

Cie

Legal name

CIE

Website

https://cie.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CIE is a U.S. producer of grain-based, high-purity specialty alcohols operating two distilleries in Indiana and Nebraska. It sells directly to enterprise customers across spirits, beauty, food/flavor/fragrance, hemp/CBD extraction, medical/life science, and industrial verticals, monetizing co-products such as animal feed, corn oil, and food-grade CO2.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Alcohols and Specialty Grain Neutral Spirits

NAICS

Distilleries (31214), Ethyl Alcohol Manufacturing (325193), Beverage Manufacturing (3121)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Distilled Spirits Production & Distilling (AFAFAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC), Grain & Sugar-Based Ethanol Production (EUAAAHAA), Alcoholic Beverage Blending, Bottling & Private Label (Non-Distilling) (AFAFAAAH)

Keywords

• Grain neutral spirits
• Specialty alcohol production
• Agricultural refining
• Ethyl alcohol manufacturing
• Industrial alcohol supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Marion

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. High-Quality Alcohol Sales: CIE generates revenue through the production and sale of high-quality alcohols including grain neutral spirits, USP alcohols, Kosher alcohols, and denatured alcohols to various industries including spirits, food/flavor/fragrance, beauty/personal care, industrial, medical/life science, and hemp/CBD extraction. Revenue is generated through direct sales with dedicated logistics fleet.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CIE manufactures and sells high-purity grain neutral spirits and specialty ethyl alcohols produced through proprietary 9-column distillation, serving spirits, beauty/personal care, food/flavor/fragrance, hemp/CBD extraction, medical/life science, and industrial markets. The company operates as a zero-loss agricultural refiner, converting corn feedstock into high-quality alcohols plus co-products including food-grade CO2, dried distillers grains (DDGS), and corn oil, with 100% process water reuse.

Product overview

CIE is a world-class distiller producing a portfolio of high-quality alcohols, primarily grain neutral spirits. The company's core offering consists of six application-specific alcohol products: Spirits (for craft and global spirits brands), Beauty/Personal Care, Food Flavor & Fragrance, Extraction (for hemp/CBD), Medical-Life Science, and Industrial applications. All core alcohol products are produced using proprietary 9-column distillation technology. CIE operates as a zero-loss agricultural refiner, converting every pound of corn feedstock into finished products, generating three main co-products: Food Grade CO2 (captured from fermentation), Dried Distillers Grains (DDGS) for animal feed, and Corn Oil (for feed and biofuels).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Spirits Alcohols High purity grain neutral spirits for craft and global spirits brands, distilled using proprietary 9-column distillation technology with tailored organoleptic profiles for vodka, gin, and other distilled spirit production.
• Beauty/Personal Care Alcohols High purity alcohol products for global beauty and personal care companies, meeting USP, API, and FCC standards in pure or denatured form for fine fragrances and personal care formulations.
• Food, Flavor & Fragrance Alcohols Odorless, colorless, tasteless high purity USP and Kosher grain neutral spirits with unrivaled organoleptics and true neutral character for food, flavor, and fragrance applications.
• Extraction Alcohols (Hemp/CBD) High purity food-grade pure and denatured alcohols for hemp/CBD oil extraction, manufactured under FSSC 22000, ICHQ7, and EXCiPACT certifications to support GMP and cGMP compliance.
• Medical-Life Science Alcohols Registered manufacturer of high purity ethyl alcohol for pharmaceutical products as API or excipient, meeting Q7 GMP, EXCiPACT, and ISO 9001:2015 standards for medical devices and life science applications.
• Industrial Alcohols High purity USP and Kosher grain neutral spirits and denatured alcohols for industrial applications including adhesives, detergents, explosives, inks, plastics, textiles, solvents, catalysts, and cleaning agents.
• Food Grade CO2 Food grade carbon dioxide captured from fermentation, cleaned and compressed to liquid form for beverage carbonation and dry ice production.
• Dried Distillers Grains (DDGS) Superior quality dried distillers grains used as staple feed for poultry and swine, measured against Pro-Fat standards for nourishment value.
• Corn Oil Nutrient-rich corn oil extracted from the production process, used as feed supplement for swine, poultry, and cattle markets and as feedstock for renewable and biodiesel fuels.

Quantifiable outcome

• Highest purity grain neutral spirits in North America

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2021CIE joined the DISCUS Board of Directors as their U.S. Spirits business became the fastest growing segment. CIE is represented by Jason Drook, Vice President of Consumer & Industrial Business. The partnership enables CIE to help shape public policy to create a favorable environment for the spirits industry and fully supports the industry's commitment to sustainability and responsible consumption.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MGP Ingredients: U.S. producer of premium grain neutral spirits and specialty ingredients for spirits, food, and beverage customers. MGP Ingredients is CIE's most direct competitor in the premium distilled alcohol category, with comparable certifications, customer overlap in craft and global spirits brands, and similar dedicated distillation infrastructure.
• Grain Processing Corporation: Iowa-based manufacturer of high-purity industrial and food-grade alcohol, corn-derived ingredients, and specialty starches. GPC competes directly with CIE in USP-grade and food-grade alcohol production, with similar customer segments and distillation capabilities.
• Green Plains Inc. U.S. ethanol producer with growing specialty alcohol and high-protein ingredients segments. Green Plains competes with CIE in both industrial-grade ethanol and is expanding into specialty alcohol markets, with overlapping corn feedstock and distillery infrastructure.
• Alto Ingredients: Formerly Pacific Ethanol, Alto Ingredients produces specialty alcohols and renewable fuels from corn. Competes with CIE in alcohol production with overlapping industrial and specialty alcohol end markets, though with a more commodity-focused positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Archer Daniels Midland (ADM): Global agribusiness giant producing industrial and specialty alcohols, flavor ingredients, and animal nutrition products. ADM competes with CIE across multiple end markets — particularly industrial alcohol, food ingredients, and animal feed (DDGS) — though as part of a much broader commodities portfolio.
• POET: Largest U.S. ethanol producer, with corn biorefinery operations producing ethanol, DDGS, and corn oil. POET competes with CIE primarily in industrial-grade alcohol on volume and price, though it does not focus on CIE's specialty/premium positioning.
• Ingredion: Global ingredient solutions company producing corn-derived sweeteners, starches, and specialty ingredients. Ingredion overlaps with CIE in corn refining and serves comparable food and beverage customers, though with a focus on sweeteners rather than distilled alcohol.
• Cargill: Global agribusiness with corn wet milling and industrial alcohol production capabilities. Cargill competes with CIE as a large-scale supplier of alcohol and corn-derived ingredients, serving industrial, food, and pharmaceutical customers with a much broader product portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Cie