Clean Fuel Partners

What Clean Fuel Partners does

Clean Fuel Partners is a privately held Wisconsin-based LLC founded in 2014 that operates anaerobic digestion facilities and provides specialized services to the agricultural waste management sector. The company runs two primary facilities — the Dane County Community Digester (DCCD) and the Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese digester — each anchored on multi-million-gallon tanks that process dairy manure through a 100-degree Celsius anaerobic digester with a 25-day retention period. Outputs are biogas (used in combined heat and power generation) and CF Fiber, a Digested Manure Solids product with documented nutrient specifications, available in fresh and dry forms for bedding, soil amendment, composting, and potential fiberboard manufacturing. The company is led by founder and CEO John Haeckel (formerly a restructuring specialist at Chilmark Partners with CFO experience at Broadway Department Stores and CB Richard Ellis) and President Jessica Niekrasz, who also leads the Wisconsin Biomass Energy Coalition.

The business model combines recurring managed services with project-based professional services. Operations & Management contracts (full-coverage or labor-only) embed CFP into day-to-day facility operations including 24/7 SCADA/HMI monitoring, inventory management, maintenance planning under a codified 5S framework, asset management, and staff training. Facility & Process Consulting engagements apply a nine-key-area evaluation methodology plus custom implementation plans. Project Development services cover contract review, due diligence, financial and risk assessments, construction design review, and policy research for new facility builds. CF Fiber is sold on a quote-based transaction model with quantity discounts. Customers are concentrated in southern and central Wisconsin and consist primarily of dairy farms, digester facility owners and operators, and agricultural project developers. Go-to-market is relationship-driven enterprise field sales supported by facility tours, an online inquiry form, LinkedIn recruiting, and speaking engagements at industry conferences; no third-party resellers or channel partners are used.

Post-acquisition turnaround of the distressed Dane County facility in late 2015 produced an 18% increase in electrical production, 35% increase in phosphorus reduction, and 49% increase in substrate intake within approximately one year, forming the company's primary case-study evidence base. The company is a member of the International Biogas Association, RENEW Wisconsin, the Dairy Business Association, the Clean Lakes Alliance (recipient of the 2016 Lumley Leadership Award, Steward of the Year), and the Wisconsin Biomass Energy Coalition. The firm is founder-led, privately held, has no disclosed institutional investors or parent company, and reports 1-10 employees.

Name

Clean Fuel Partners

Legal name

Clean Fuel Partners, LLC

Website

https://cleanfuelpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Clean Fuel Partners is a Wisconsin-based private company that operates anaerobic digestion facilities for dairy farms, converting agricultural waste into biogas and CF Fiber (digested manure solids). It serves digester facility owners, dairy operators, and agricultural project developers across southern and central Wisconsin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Waste Management & Anaerobic Digestion Services

NAICS

Industrial Gas Manufacturing (32512), Steam and Air-Conditioning Supply (221330)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991), Steam & Air-Conditioning Supply (4961)

akta.pro primary industry

Anaerobic Digestion (AD) & Biogas/RNG Production (Organics Feedstocks) (BPALAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Manure & Organic Residuals Feedstock Supply (Farm Organics for AD/RNG) (EUAAAFAK), Anaerobic Digestion (Wet/Dry AD) & Biogas Production (EUAIAEAD)

Keywords

• Anaerobic digestion services
• Agricultural waste management
• Biogas operations maintenance
• Renewable energy consulting
• Digested manure solids

Headquarters

HQ city

Dane

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Operations & Management Services: Full spectrum Administrative and O&M services including inventory management, maintenance planning, asset management, accounting/bookkeeping, and staff training. O&M contracts available as full-coverage (labor, parts and materials) or labor-only options.
2. Facility & Process Consulting: Site and process consulting services with thorough analysis of nine key areas of digester operation, supplemented with custom solutions reports and implementation plans.
3. Project Development Services: Consulting services for new project development including contract review, policy research, construction design reviews, due diligence, financial assessments, budget analysis, risk evaluations, and site process planning.
4. CF Fiber Product Sales: Sale of Digested Manure Solids (DMS) in fresh and dry forms for use as bedding, soil amendment, composting feedstock, and potential fiberboard manufacturing.
5. Digester Cleanout & Repair Services: Tank cleanout services including decommissioning, isolation, cleanout logistics, maintenance and repair, and re-commissioning. Can result in tank being offline for over a month.
6. Emergency Equipment Replacement: Rapid response services for catastrophic equipment failures, including equipment sourcing, removal, transport, installation and commissioning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Clean Fuel Partners provides operations and management (O&M), facility and process consulting, and project development services for anaerobic digestion facilities, primarily in southern and central Wisconsin. The company also produces and sells CF Fiber, a digested manure solids (DMS) byproduct in fresh and dry forms used as bedding, soil amendment, composting feedstock, and fiberboard material. Services are delivered on-site by technicians and via consulting engagements with dairy farms and digester facility owners.

Product overview

Clean Fuel Partners operates as a service and product company for agricultural waste management and anaerobic digestion facilities. The company offers three core service lines—Operations & Management, Facility & Process Consulting, and Project Development—that work together to support anaerobic digester facilities. Additionally, the company produces and sells CF Fiber, a digested manure solids product derived from the digester process. The services and products are interconnected, with operations management providing ongoing facility support while consulting and project development services enable new and improved facility implementations, all processing agricultural waste into biogas and producing the CF Fiber byproduct.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CF Fiber: Digested Manure Solids (DMS) product produced from the anaerobic digester process. CF Fiber is a nutrient-rich resource used as bedding, soil amendment, composting feedstock, and potential fiberboard material. Available in fresh (67-72% moisture) and dry forms (under 65% moisture).

Products and services

• Operations & Management Full spectrum administrative and operations & maintenance (O&M) services for anaerobic digester facilities, including inventory management, maintenance planning, asset management, data analytics, biogas management, labor coverage, and staff training. O&M contracts available as full-coverage (labor, parts, materials) or labor-only options.
• Facility & Process Consulting Consulting services for anaerobic digester facility owners and operators, including facility evaluations across nine key areas, site & process consulting, troubleshooting, system development, and mentorship programs.
• Project Development Comprehensive project development consulting covering contract review, policy research, construction design reviews, due diligence, financial assessments, risk evaluations, and site process planning from concept to close.
• CF Fiber Digested Manure Solids (DMS) product produced from anaerobic digestion, available in fresh (67-72% moisture) and dry (under 65% moisture via 500-degree drum dryer) forms. Nutrient-rich product used for animal bedding, soil amendment/fertilizer, composting feedstock, and fiberboard production. Sold with quote-based pricing and quantity discounts available.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18% increase in electrical production at Dane County facility
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• International Biogas Association (IBA)minorOthersIndustry association membership providing access to biogas industry resources, networking, and advocacy at the international level. Displayed as IBA Partner in the Proud Members section of the website.
• RENEW WisconsincoreOthersState-level renewable energy organization. President Jessica Niekrasz serves on the board of RENEW Wisconsin and is an officer of the RENEW Energy Fund's board. Strategic advocacy partner for policy change and renewable energy promotion in Wisconsin.
• Wisconsin Biomass Energy Coalition (WBEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJessica Niekrasz is President and driving force behind WBEC, bringing stakeholders together to open dialogue on nutrient management and advocating for policy change within local and national government. CFP uses this coalition for industry advocacy and policy reform efforts.
• Dairy Business AssociationminorOthersIndustry association representing dairy business interests. Displayed in Proud Members section. Supports industry collaboration and advocacy for dairy operations in Wisconsin.
• Clean Lakes AlliancecoreOthersEnvironmental organization focused on protecting Wisconsin lakes and water quality. Awarded CFP the Lumley Leadership Award (2016 Steward of the Year). Partnership supports watershed protection and nutrient management advocacy.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• PlanET Biogas: PlanET Biogas designs, builds, and services anaerobic digestion plants for agricultural and industrial feedstocks — comparable offering to CFP across project development, O&M, and digester technology optimization.
• EcoEngineers: EcoEngineers is a consulting and engineering firm specializing in anaerobic digestion and renewable natural gas projects, providing similar process/feasibility consulting to digester owners and operators as CFP's Facility & Process Consulting line.
• RCM International: RCM International provides AD troubleshooting, digester cleaning, and operational consulting, overlapping with CFP's cleanout/repair and consulting services in similar dairy and agricultural digester markets.
• DVO Inc. DVO is one of the largest US anaerobic digester operators and a direct competitor for manure-based AD services, including O&M contracts on dairy-farm digesters — directly comparable to CFP's core offering.
• Bioenergy DevCo (formerly CH4 Biogas): Bioenergy DevCo develops and operates organic waste-to-energy projects via anaerobic digestion, with an O&M and project development service model that mirrors CFP's three service lines and byproduct-utilization approach.

Broad incumbents

• Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI): HZI is a large EPC and operator in biogas/AD plants via its Kompogas technology, comparable to CFP's project development and operating services but serving a much larger municipal and commercial customer base globally.
• Voith Group: Voith is a large industrial engineering group with biogas/AD capabilities including rotating equipment and O&M services for anaerobic digester facilities, comparable technology focus but much wider industrial scope.
• Andritz Group: Andritz is a large industrial engineering group with a dedicated biogas/AD division supplying equipment and service contracts for agricultural and industrial digesters — broader scope and balance-sheet strength but overlapping customer base.

Emerging players

• Cambrian Innovation: Cambrian Innovation develops AD and wastewater-to-energy solutions with a service-plus-products model — emerging competitor addressing food and agriculture waste streams that partially overlap with CFP's dairy/manure focus.

Regional players

• Quantum Biopower: Quantum Biopower operates AD facilities in the Northeast US processing food waste into renewable energy — comparable business model (operate + service) but different geography and feedstock mix than CFP's Wisconsin dairy focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/clean_fuel
• Facebookfacebook.com/CleanFuelPartners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/6652970
• Instagraminstagram.com/cleanfuelpartners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Clean Fuel Partners