Highwater Ethanol
Highwater Ethanol, LLC operates a 50 million gallon-per-year corn-based ethanol plant in Lamberton, Minnesota, producing fuel-grade ethanol, dried distillers grains, and corn oil for biofuel blenders and livestock feed markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersLamberton, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Highwater Ethanol does
Highwater Ethanol, LLC operates a single 50 million gallon-per-year fuel-grade ethanol production facility located one mile west of Lamberton, Minnesota, along U.S. Highway 14 with rail access via the Dakota Minnesota & Eastern Railroad. The plant was constructed by Fagen Inc. with process technology from ICM and commenced operations in September 2009. It runs 24 hours per day, seven days per week, with scheduled maintenance shutdowns, and is staffed by roughly 30-35 employees.
The company converts corn feedstock into three revenue streams: ethanol sold as a renewable biofuel blendstock (E10, E15, E85), 160,000 tons per year of Dried Distillers Grains (DDG) marketed as a high-protein livestock feed (with wet-cake available to local producers), and corn oil marketed through RPMG (Renewable Products Market Group) in Shakopee, Minnesota. Additional farmer-facing services include discount schedules, a Delayed Pricing (DP) program, and an online corn-bid portal powered by CIH (Crop Income Hedger).
Highwater Ethanol is structured as a private Minnesota LLC governed by a Member Control Agreement, with SEC-registered private securities offerings (CIK 0001371451) indicating member-investor ownership. Corn is procured directly from regional farmers and commercial entities. The company does not disclose pricing or revenue, and its customer base spans commodity biofuel blenders and distributed livestock feed buyers with no named end-customer concentration. The operating footprint is single-site within Minnesota and the surrounding Midwest.
Highwater Ethanol firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Highwater Ethanol
- Legal name
- Highwater Ethanol, LLC
- Website
- https://highwaterethanol.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Highwater Ethanol, LLC operates a 50 million gallon-per-year corn-based ethanol plant in Lamberton, Minnesota, producing fuel-grade ethanol, dried distillers grains, and corn oil for biofuel blenders and livestock feed markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Highwater Ethanol industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Ethanol Production
- 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 Highwater Ethanol is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lamberton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Highwater Ethanol business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Ethanol Production: Produces 50 million gallons of ethanol annually from corn feedstock through fermentation, distillation, and dehydration processes. Ethanol is sold as a biofuel blend component (E85, E10).
- Dried Distillers Grains (DDG): Produces 160,000 tons of DDG annually as a high-protein livestock feed co-product from the ethanol production process. A portion available as wet-cake for local livestock producers.
- Corn Oil: Corn oil co-product marketed through RPMG (Renewable Products Market Group) out of Shakopee, Minnesota.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Highwater Ethanol product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Highwater Ethanol operates a 50 million gallon-per-year fuel-grade ethanol production facility in Lamberton, Minnesota, converting corn feedstock into renewable biofuel through fermentation, distillation, and dehydration. The facility also produces 160,000 tons annually of Dried Distillers Grains (DDG) as a high-protein livestock feed co-product, with a portion available as wet-cake for local livestock producers. Co-product corn oil is marketed through RPMG (Renewable Products Market Group).
Product overview
Highwater Ethanol operates a 50 million gallon ethanol production facility in Lamberton, Minnesota. The company's core offering is fuel-grade ethanol, produced through fermentation and distillation of corn feedstock. The facility operates 24/7 with annual production capacity of 50 million gallons of ethanol and 160,000 tons of Dried Distillers Grains (DDG). The integrated product portfolio includes ethanol (primary revenue driver), DDG as a high-protein livestock feed co-product, and corn oil marketed through RPMG. Additional services include a Delayed Pricing (DP) Program for corn procurement, providing agricultural producers with deferred pricing flexibility.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Fuel-Grade Ethanol Fuel-grade ethanol produced through fermentation, distillation, and dehydration of corn, sold as a renewable biofuel blendstock for E10, E15, and E85 gasoline to fuel blenders and biofuel distributors.
- Dried Distillers Grains (DDG) High-protein livestock feed co-product from the ethanol production process, produced at 160,000 tons annually. A portion is available as wet-cake for local livestock producers.
- Corn Oil Corn oil co-product extracted during ethanol production, marketed through RPMG (Renewable Products Market Group) for industrial and food applications.
- Corn Procurement (Direct Purchasing) Direct corn purchasing program for ethanol production feedstock, procuring from regional farmers and commercial agricultural suppliers under published discount schedules.
Companies that use Highwater Ethanol
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Highwater Ethanol technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Highwater Ethanol partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Fagen Inc.corePrimary plant construction contractor and technology partner for the 50 million gallon ethanol facility. Fagen is a leading ethanol plant designer and builder.
- ICMcoreTechnology provider for ethanol production process including fermentation, distillation and dehydration systems.
- RPMG (Renewable Products Market Group)coreMarkets and sells corn oil co-product from the ethanol facility. Located in Shakopee, Minnesota. Contact: 952-465-3220.
- Meadowland Farmers CoopminorBuild team member involved in the ethanol plant development project.
- Boulay, Heutmaker, Zibell & Co. P.L.L.P.minorAccounting and financial advisory firm on build team for plant construction.
- Brown, Winick, Graves, Gross, Baskerville and Schoenebaum, P.L.C.minorLegal counsel on build team for securities and regulatory matters.
- Christianson & Associates, PLLPminorProfessional services firm on build team.
- Earth Tech Consulting, Inc.minorEnvironmental and engineering consulting on build team for permit compliance.
- R & G ConstructionminorConstruction contractor on build team.
- TransSystems, Inc.minorEngineering/transportation firm on build team.
- U.S. EnergyminorEnergy services firm on build team.
- Yaggy ColbyminorSurveying/mapping firm on build team.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Highwater Ethanol competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- POET: Largest U.S. corn ethanol producer with ~3 billion gallons of annual capacity across 28 plants. Direct competitor operating the same Fagen/ICM-style corn-to-ethanol process at scale and serving the same RFS-driven biofuel market.
- Green Plains Inc. Public ethanol producer operating ~1 billion gallons of annual capacity across multiple Midwest plants. Directly comparable corn ethanol production, DDG, and corn oil co-product mix with active commodity hedging programs.
- REX American Resources: Holding company focused on ethanol investments with multiple corn ethanol plant stakes. Closely comparable business model and asset profile to a single-plant corn ethanol operator like Highwater.
- Pacific Ethanol (now Alto Ingredients): Mid-cap ethanol producer with multiple corn ethanol facilities in the Western U.S. Operates the same corn-to-ethanol-plus-DDGS-plus-corn-oil product mix and competes for similar blending customers.
- Al-Corn Clean Fuel: Minnesota-based corn ethanol producer of comparable size and vintage to Highwater. Operates the same Fagen/ICM-style corn ethanol process in the same regional market, making it a near-perfect small-cap peer benchmark.
- Granite Falls Energy: Minnesota-based corn ethanol producer with similar capacity (~50M gal/yr) and product mix (ethanol, DDGS). Closely matched in scale, location, and vintage to Highwater Ethanol.
- Bushmills Ethanol: Minnesota corn ethanol producer of similar scale and vintage. Operates the same commodity corn-to-ethanol model with DDG co-products in the same regional market.
Broad incumbents
- Valero Renewable Fuels: Division of Valero Energy producing ~1.2 billion gallons of corn ethanol annually. Operates the same commodity corn ethanol model at scale, with the added advantage of integrated refining and logistics infrastructure.
- Archer Daniels Midland (ADM): Global agribusiness major with significant corn ethanol production alongside its grain merchandising and processing businesses. Directly comparable core corn-to-ethanol output but with vastly diversified revenue streams.
Emerging players
- Aemetis: Renewable fuels company with corn ethanol assets in California plus development-stage cellulosic and SAF projects. Comparable corn ethanol production while pursuing next-generation biofuel pathways that compete for the same policy tailwinds.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Highwater Ethanol social profiles
Digital presenceHighwater Ethanol financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Highwater Ethanol leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Highwater Ethanol funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Highwater 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 Highwater Ethanol
What does Highwater Ethanol do?
Highwater Ethanol operates a 50 million gallon-per-year fuel-grade ethanol production facility in Lamberton, Minnesota, converting corn feedstock into renewable biofuel through fermentation, distillation, and dehydration. The facility also produces 160,000 tons annually of Dried Distillers Grains (DDG) as a high-protein livestock feed co-product, with a portion available as wet-cake for local livestock producers. Co-product corn oil is marketed through RPMG (Renewable Products Market Group).
Is Highwater Ethanol a public or private company?
Highwater Ethanol is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Highwater Ethanol founded?
Highwater Ethanol was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Highwater Ethanol based?
Highwater Ethanol is headquartered in Lamberton, United States, in the North America region.
How does Highwater Ethanol make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Ethanol Production is the primary driver. The others are dried Distillers Grains (DDG) and corn Oil.
Who are Highwater Ethanol's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are POET, Green Plains Inc., REX American Resources, Pacific Ethanol (now Alto Ingredients), Al-Corn Clean Fuel, Granite Falls Energy and Bushmills Ethanol. Broad incumbents are Valero Renewable Fuels and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). Aemetis is listed as an emerging player.
Does Highwater Ethanol have an API?
No public API is recorded for Highwater Ethanol.
What industry is Highwater Ethanol in?
Highwater Ethanol's product category is Ethanol Production. 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.