What Sunrise Cooperative does

Sunrise Cooperative, Inc. is a 100% farmer-owned agricultural and energy cooperative headquartered in Fremont, Ohio, founded in 1996 (with one source citing a 2016 operating date) and operating roughly 101-250 employees across more than 20 central-Ohio locations. The cooperative serves member-owner farmers through five operating divisions: Agronomy (proprietary PCT | Sunrise crop-nutrition brand, crop protection, seed, and 4R Nutrient Stewardship-certified facilities), Grain (storage, marketing, VantagePointe platform, futures/options), Energy (propane, fuels, Cenex lubricants), Feed (Purina livestock nutrition), and Precision Agriculture (Sunrise Precision Solutions, ranked top-10 in CropLife 100 for 2020-2022). The cooperative distributes products and services through team-based direct field sales with no intermediary resellers, and its physical grain and agronomy footprint, including a 2-million-bushel Behlen steel tank at Crestline, anchors both service delivery and grain handling economics.

The cooperative generates revenue through physical-goods sales (fertilizers, crop protection, seed, propane, fuels, lubricants, feed), transaction-based grain handling and marketing fees, professional services for precision agriculture (data management, soil sampling, equipment installation/calibration), and patronage distributions tied to fiscal-year financial performance. Pricing is largely quote-based and not publicly disclosed, supplemented by an annual input-financing program offering 0% deferred-payment terms. Member-owners are bound to the cooperative through equity, elected board governance, and recurring patronage cycles - with 2023 marking the largest single cash distribution in the cooperative's history, signaling a strong underlying fiscal base. Recorded annual sales reached $800 million as of February 2021.

Strategically, Sunrise is consolidating around the Ohio ag corridor: it acquired full ownership of Crestline Crop Nutrients LLC from CHS in January 2026, pursued (but saw rejected) a three-way merger with Mercer Landmark and Centerra Cooperative in March 2026, and operates joint programs with CHS, Microsoft (Airband Initiative), Land O'Lakes, Watch Communications, Purina, Precision Planting, Ag Leader, and Cenex. The cooperative invests in long-term talent development through the RISE FFA Career Program (launched 2020) and an annual scholarship program, and operates PCT | Sunrise as a wholly-owned proprietary crop-nutrition brand with seven sub-products. Operating geographies remain Ohio-only; no customers or revenue streams outside the state are disclosed.

Name

Sunrise Cooperative

Legal name

Sunrise Cooperative, Inc.

Website

https://sunriseco-op.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Sunrise Cooperative is a 100% farmer-owned agricultural and energy cooperative headquartered in Fremont, Ohio, serving member-owner farmers across central Ohio through agronomy, grain, energy, feed, and precision-agriculture divisions operating from 20+ locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fremont

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Agronomy Products and Services: Sale of crop inputs including fertilizers, crop protection products, seeds, adjuvants, and crop nutrition products through the PCT | Sunrise proprietary brand. Revenue from custom application services and agronomy sales teams operating across central Ohio locations.
2. Grain Handling and Marketing: Grain storage, handling, and marketing services for member-owners including futures/options contracts, cash bids, and grain contracting. Revenue from grain handling fees and commodity marketing margins.
3. Energy Products: Sale of propane, fuels, grease and lubricants to agricultural, residential, and commercial customers across Ohio.
4. Feed Products: Sale of Purina livestock feed products and cattle mineral supplements in partnership with Purina Animal Nutrition.
5. Precision Services: Precision agriculture services including soil sampling, data management, equipment technology sales and service, and custom application support. Revenue from service fees and equipment/technology product sales.
6. Patronage Distributions: As a farmer-owned cooperative, Sunrise returns patronage to members based on the cooperative's financial performance each fiscal year. In 2023, Sunrise announced the largest single cash distribution for customer-owners in cooperative history.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Sunrise Cooperative is a 100% farmer-owned agricultural and energy cooperative serving member-owners across central Ohio. It sells crop inputs (fertilizers, crop protection, seed, proprietary PCT | Sunrise crop nutrition blends), grain marketing and storage services, energy products (propane, fuels, Cenex lubricants), livestock feed, and precision agriculture services (soil sampling, equipment technology, data management) through more than 20 physical locations and dedicated divisional sales teams.

Product overview

Sunrise Cooperative is a leading agricultural and energy cooperative offering an integrated portfolio of products and services across five main divisions: Agronomy, Energy, Feed, Grain, and Precision Agriculture. The Agronomy division centers on PCT | Sunrise®, a proprietary sub-brand offering precise blends of crop inputs including starters, foliars, finishers, adjuvants, biostimulants, micronutrients, seed treatments, herbicides and nitrogen stabilizers, marketed under branded products such as StandUp, Folr Feed, Grain Maker, Adjutec, Bio Build, Nutra Burst, and Croprotek. The Precision Agriculture division (Sunrise Precision Solutions/SPS) provides data management, equipment technology services, and soil sampling, while the Grain division offers VantagePointe® platform and SunSolutions for grain marketing and contracting. The Energy division provides propane, fuels, and lubricants through partnerships with Cenex, and the Feed division offers livestock nutrition products. The cooperative operates more than 20 locations across central Ohio serving farmer-member-owners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PCT | Sunrise: Progressive crop technology company owned by Sunrise Cooperative, offering crop nutrients including starters, foliars, finishers, adjuvants, biostimulants, micronutrients, seed treatments, herbicides and nitrogen stabilizers. Product sub-brands include Stand Up, Folr Feed, Grain Maker, Adjutec, Bio Build, Nutra Burst, Croprotek.

Products and services

• PCT | Sunrise Crop Nutrition Products

Quantifiable outcome

• Largest single cash distribution for customer-owners in cooperative history in 2023
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• CHS Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 January 2026CHS sold its 50% ownership stake in Crestline Crop Nutrients LLC to Sunrise Cooperative on January 29, 2026, giving Sunrise full ownership of the fertilizer blending and storage facility that has served Ohio growers since 2010. As part of the restructuring, both parties entered a new long-term agreement expanding CHS's agronomy support role and increasing the volume of crop nutrients supplied through the cooperative system.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or Integration · 11 February 2021Sunrise Cooperative is collaborating with Microsoft (via the Microsoft Airband Initiative), Land O'Lakes, and Watch Communications to expand broadband internet access to customer-owners and employees. Watch Communications installed high-speed broadband technology at the Sunrise Cooperative Uniopolis facility to address rural connectivity gaps critical for precision agriculture.
• Land O'LakescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2021Sunrise is part of the Land O'Lakes member network. This collaboration is part of ongoing efforts by Land O'Lakes and Microsoft to eliminate the rural broadband gap across the United States through the American Connection Project.
• Watch CommunicationscoreTechnology or Integration · 11 February 2021Internet service provider using fixed wireless and fiber technologies to serve residential and business customers. Installed high-speed broadband technology at the Sunrise Cooperative Uniopolis facility to improve access throughout the area. A Microsoft Airband Initiative partner.
• Fueling the Cure Partners (Heritage Cooperative, Centerra Co-op, Premier Energy)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2009Fueling the Cure was established in September 2009 as a joint effort between four cooperatives: Sunrise Cooperative, Heritage Cooperative, Centerra Co-op, and Premier Energy. Each cooperative donates $2 per delivery stop of propane to fund cancer research at the James Cancer Hospital. Together they have raised over one million dollars.
• Purina Animal Nutrition (Land O'Lakes)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSunrise Cooperative partners with Purina (Land O'Lakes) to provide cattle minerals and feed supplements including Wind and Rain cattle minerals and Purina starter feeds with RX3 Immune Support Technology. Feed Solutions Advisors help customers plan mineral programs.
• Cenex LubricantsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSunrise Cooperative is partnered with Cenex Lubricants and utilizes a LubeScan kit to provide oil analysis services that act as an early warning system for equipment maintenance.
• Microsoft Airband InitiativecoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft's Airband Initiative aims to extend broadband access to 3 million people in unserved or underserved rural areas in the United States by partnering with internet service providers. Watch Communications is a Microsoft Airband Initiative partner implementing broadband at Sunrise locations.
• Precision PlantingcoreTechnology or IntegrationSunrise Cooperative is a Precision Planting Premier Dealer, providing sales, installation, troubleshooting, repair, and testing/calibration services through MeterMax Ultra and MobileMax test stands.
• Ag Leader TechnologycoreTechnology or IntegrationSunrise Cooperative is an Ag Leader Blue Delta Dealer, providing precision agriculture technology solutions for planting, application, and harvest equipment.
• The Wendt GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Wendt Group handles Sunrise Cooperative's surplus equipment and real estate auctions, including the 2020 Wapakoneta property auction and annual equipment auctions at the Clark County Fairgrounds.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Heritage Cooperative: Ohio-based farmer-owned agricultural cooperative offering agronomy, grain, energy, feed, and precision services across central and western Ohio. Direct peer in same geography, same member-owned structure, and partner in the Fueling the Cure initiative alongside Sunrise.
• Centerra Co-op: Ohio-based farmer-owned agricultural cooperative serving northern Ohio with agronomy, grain, energy, and feed services. Direct peer in geography, member-owned structure, and a partner in the Fueling the Cure initiative. Was a participant in the rejected three-way merger with Sunrise and Mercer Landmark.
• Mercer Landmark: Ohio-based agricultural cooperative offering agronomy, energy, feed, and grain services across northwest Ohio. Direct peer; was the third member of the rejected three-way merger with Sunrise and Centerra Co-op, sharing comparable member-owned structure and product lines.
• Trupointe Cooperative: Ohio-based farmer-owned agricultural cooperative serving western Ohio with agronomy, grain, and energy services. Direct peer in member-owned structure, Ohio geography, and product line mix comparable to Sunrise's agronomy and grain divisions.

Broad incumbents

• Growmark: Large regional agricultural cooperative system serving the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic with crop inputs, grain, energy, and FS-branded services. Comparable member-owned model and similar product mix, but operating at significantly larger scale across multiple states rather than concentrated in Ohio.
• CHS Inc. Largest U.S. agricultural cooperative, with crop nutrients, grain, energy, and food ingredients businesses. Direct comparator for member-owned structure and crop nutrition scale; was the JV partner on Crestline Crop Nutrients LLC before divesting full ownership to Sunrise in January 2026.
• Land O'Lakes: National farmer-owned cooperative spanning crop inputs (WinField United), dairy, and animal nutrition (Purina). Comparable cooperative governance model; Sunrise distributes Purina feed products and is part of the Land O'Lakes member network, also partnering on the Microsoft Airband broadband initiative.

Regional players

• Premier Energy: Ohio-based energy cooperative focused on propane, heating oil, and fuel delivery. Direct peer in the Energy division and partner in the Fueling the Cure initiative alongside Sunrise, Heritage, and Centerra; overlaps most directly with Sunrise's energy customer base.

Emerging players

• AgriGold: Regional seed and crop input company serving Eastern Corn Belt farmers including Ohio. Comparable as an agricultural input provider within Sunrise's agronomy distribution territory, though not a cooperative.
• AgriVision Equipment: Regional precision agriculture equipment dealer in Iowa and surrounding states offering precision planting, application, and data management services. Comparable to Sunrise Precision Solutions in service line, though operating in different geography and without cooperative ownership structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/SunriseCoopOH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sunrise-cooperative

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Sunrise Cooperative