Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance

What Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance does

The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance, rebranded in January 2026 as the U.S. Identity Preserved Alliance (USIP Alliance), is a membership-based trade association founded in February 2019 through the consolidation of two agricultural associations. The organization represents suppliers of identity preserved, food-grade, non-GMO soybeans and specialty grains, operating from a single headquarters in Mankato, Minnesota with 1-10 employees. Its core mission is to build, grow, and sustain a reliable supply chain ensuring varietal purity, traceability, and integrity of end products for international food manufacturers and U.S. producers/exporters.

The alliance delivers a portfolio of interconnected platform services rather than physical technology products. These include SSGA University (an online educational platform with courses on the IP Highway and individual soy food applications such as soymilk, tofu, tempeh, miso, natto, and soy flours), a Trade Lead Submission system that connects international buyers with member exporters, the Specialty U.S. Soy Database, twice-monthly IP Crop Network Reports drawing on USDA NASS data, an annual U.S. Identity Preserved International Summit, and Action Teams organized around Competitive Shipping, Agronomy, Soy Foods, and Specialty Grains. The underlying "technology" is the U.S. Identity Preserved (USIP) certification and traceability system itself — a procedural and standards-based framework ensuring varietal purity with no commingling.

The business model is subscription/recurring membership fees paid by member companies (producers, brokers, exporters) supplemented by USDA grants (including a 2019 Agricultural Trade Promotion grant) and partnership support. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: the alliance engages international buyers through educational content, trade lead matching, the International Summit, and AgTC transportation coalition participation, while reaching members through Action Teams, IP Crop Network reports, e-newsletters, and social channels. Geographic reach is global with concentrated end-market relationships in Japan (notably a 15+ year flagship relationship with the Japan Natto Cooperative Society Federation / Nattoren) and South Korea, and a production base spanning the Upper Midwest (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, Illinois).

Name

Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance

Legal name

Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance

Website

https://soyagrainsalliance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The U.S. Identity Preserved Alliance (formerly Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance) is a Mankato, Minnesota-based membership trade association that supports the U.S. Identity Preserved supply chain for food-grade soybeans and specialty grains, serving international food manufacturers and U.S. producers/exporters with education, trade lead matching, and certification standards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Trade Association

NAICS

Oilseed and Grain Farming (1111), Wheat Farming (11114), Other Grain Farming (11119)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Traceability & Chain-of-Custody Certification (Mass Balance, Segregation, Identity Preserved) (AFALAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Geographic Indication & Origin/Authenticity Certification (PDO/PGI, Country-of-Origin) (AFALAMAJ), Supply Chain, Marketing & Contracting Advisory (Grain/Livestock Marketing) (AFACAJAH)

Keywords

• Identity preserved soybeans
• Specialty grains trade
• Agricultural trade association
• Soybean export facilitation
• IP crop network

Headquarters

HQ city

Mankato

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: The alliance operates as a membership-based organization with member companies that respond to trade leads from international buyers seeking identity preserved, high value field crops. Members include producers, brokers, and exporters of specialty soya and grains.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (now U.S. Identity Preserved Alliance) is a membership-based trade association that facilitates the production, processing, and export of identity preserved specialty soybeans and grains. It connects international buyers with U.S. producers, brokers, and exporters through trade lead submissions, provides educational programs (SSGA University) on the U.S. Identity Preserved system, and advocates for the IP value chain.

Product overview

The United States Identity Preserved Alliance (formerly Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance) offers a platform of interconnected products and services supporting the U.S. Identity Preserved value chain for specialty soybeans and grains. The core offerings include SSGA University (an online educational platform with courses on IP systems and soy foods), Trade Lead Submissions (connecting buyers with exporters of identity preserved crops), the Specialty U.S. Soy Database (for sourcing soybeans), and IP Crop Network Reports (twice-monthly crop condition reports). Supporting resources cover Transportation, Identity Preservation practices, Agronomy, Soy Foods, Specialty Grains, and an annual International Summit. The Conversion Table provides standard agricultural measurement conversions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SSGA University: Online educational platform teaching the U.S. Identity Preserved system for U.S.-grown field crops, including courses on IP Highway, Soymilk and Tofu, Tempeh, Miso and Natto, Soy Flours, and Specialty Grains

Products and services

• SSGA University

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSIP Alliance members and staff attended the AgTC Annual Meeting in Tacoma, joining agriculture transportation professionals for networking and education. Competitive Shipping Action Team Chair Jennifer Schneider and Gary Williams participated in panels on shipping challenges facing agricultural exporters.
• Japan Natto Cooperative Society Federation (Nattoren)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner15+ year relationship supporting U.S. soy exports to Japanese natto industry. Alliance helped establish U.S. category at annual Natto Competition. U.S. Identity Preserved soybeans are preferred due to insufficient domestic supply in Japan.
• Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership focused on transportation and logistics for agricultural exports through Seattle-Tacoma ports. Alliance participates in NWSA Peak Planning sessions and advocates for exporter needs in operational discussions.
• Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level research and promotion council supporting USIP Alliance efforts and activities in Minnesota, contributing agronomy expertise and crop reporting.
• Northern Food Grade Soybean AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPredecessor organization that encouraged Nattoren to establish the U.S. category in their annual competition, laying foundation for the ongoing partnership.
• SB&B FoodscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPresident Bob Sinner represents SB&B Foods and serves as USIP Alliance Director, actively involved in promoting U.S. IP soybeans in international markets including Japan.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Soybean Association: National commodity checkoff-funded trade association representing U.S. soybean farmers across policy, market access, and promotion. Broader and older incumbent that overlaps with USIP Alliance on soybean advocacy and export market development.

Direct peers

• North American Export Grain Association: Industry association supporting companies that export U.S. grain and oilseeds. Comparable as a trade-association model dedicated to facilitating logistics, policy advocacy, and buyer connections for U.S. grain exporters — directly aligned with USIP Alliance's transportation and trade-lead activities.
• U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC): Industry-funded export promotion body for U.S. soybeans. Most directly comparable to USIP Alliance in mission (promoting identity-preserved/food-grade soybeans into international food channels) and customer base (overseas importers and food manufacturers).
• Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC): Coalition advocating for reliable ocean and intermodal transportation for U.S. agricultural exporters. Listed as an active USIP partner; comparable as a complementary trade body focused on shipping logistics for the same constituency of identity-preserved crop exporters.
• U.S. Grains Council: Market development organization for U.S. grain producers and exporters covering corn, barley, sorghum, and co-products. Comparable to USIP Alliance as a membership-based, USDA-supported body focused on identity-preserved grain exports to international buyers.
• USA Rice Federation: U.S. rice industry trade association that combines domestic promotion and international export development. Directly comparable structure to USIP Alliance as a membership trade body facilitating identity-specific U.S. crop exports to food manufacturers abroad.
• USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council: U.S. grower-funded checkoff and trade body for dry peas, lentils, and chickpeas with similar export-promotion and identity-preservation orientation. Functionally mirrors USIP Alliance's role for pulse exporters.
• Northern Food Grade Soybean Association: Predecessor organization to the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance that promoted identity-preserved, food-grade soybeans for export markets, including the early relationship with Nattoren. Direct functional predecessor and the closest historical peer.
• USA Pulses / Pulse Canada: Trade organizations that promote identity-preserved, food-grade pulses (lentils, peas, chickpeas) to international buyers through similar education, trade lead, and trade show mechanisms. Closely analogous model for specialty U.S. crop export promotion.

Regional players

• Corn Refiners Association: U.S. trade association for corn refining and value-added corn product manufacturers exporting sweeteners, starches, and ethanol co-products. Adjacent peer given USIP Alliance's specialty grains (including corn hybrids for food use) focus and shared advocacy for value-added crop exports.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SoyaGrains
• Facebookfacebook.com/specialtysoyagrainsalliance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soyagrainsalliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance