Gold Star

What Gold Star does

Gold Star Feed and Grain, LLC is a regional livestock feed manufacturer and commodity trading company serving dairy operators across the Northeastern United States. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in East Aurora, New York, the company operates four company-owned manufacturing facilities across New York State (Aurora, Strykersville, Springville, and Adams Center) and delivers direct to customer sites via an owned transportation fleet. Gold Star is a wholly-owned subsidiary of J.D. Heiskell Holdings, LLC, a diversified agribusiness conglomerate with over 137 years of operating history, and benefits from the parent's corporate oversight, benefits administration, and access to commodity markets across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The company's core product and service portfolio comprises mixed feed products manufactured to exact customer specifications, commodity trading (grains, byproducts, proteins, and feed ingredients), additives and ingredients, custom blending services, nutritional and technical consulting (including calf feeding programs), commodity contracting, and transportation and logistics services. Underlying capabilities are operational and logistical: feed formulation and blending know-how, commodity sourcing reach across North America, and field-based nutritional consulting rather than a software platform or proprietary technology stack. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is governed for commodity contracts by NGFA trade rules.

The commercial model is sales-led with a team of regional sales representatives and nutrition consultants covering four territories (Upstate NY, Central NY, Western NY, and Southwest NY/Northwest PA), supplemented by website contact forms and a light social media presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X. Revenue mechanics span transaction-based feed sales, commodity trading spreads, and professional-services engagements for nutritional consulting. No public funding, M&A activity, or app/SDK distribution channel is associated with the company, and no AI/ML capabilities are evident in the input material.

Name

Gold Star

Legal name

Gold Star Feed and Grain, LLC

Website

https://goldstarfeed.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Gold Star Feed and Grain, LLC manufactures custom-blended livestock feed and sources agricultural commodities for dairy operators across the Northeastern United States. Operating four facilities in New York State, the company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of J.D. Heiskell Holdings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Feed Manufacturing

NAICS

Other Animal Food Manufacturing (311119)

SIC

Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Grain Processing for Feed (Cracking, Rolling, Grinding) (AFADAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Starches, Flours & Milling Products Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAH)

Keywords

• Livestock feed manufacturing
• Dairy feed solutions
• Commodity sourcing
• Nutritional consulting
• Custom feed blending

Headquarters

HQ city

East Aurora

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Livestock Feed Manufacturing and Sales: Manufacturing and selling custom-blended livestock feed products to dairy farmers. Feed is produced to customer exact specifications and delivered reliably.
2. Commodity Trading: Buying and selling agricultural commodities including grains and byproducts, proteins, and feed ingredients. Serves as both supplier and buyer in commodity markets.
3. Nutritional Consulting Services: Providing technical expertise and consulting to dairy operators for herd nutrition optimization, including calf feeding programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Gold Star Feed and Grain manufactures custom-blended livestock feed for dairy producers in the Northeast United States, sourcing commodities and ingredients from across the US, Canada, and Mexico. The company operates four production facilities in New York State, produces feed to exact customer specifications, and delivers it via its own transportation fleet. It also provides nutritional consulting, calf feeding programs, and commodity contracting services to support herd health and farm operations.

Product overview

Gold Star operates as a livestock feed and commodity company serving the Northeast dairy market since 2012. The company offers a unified portfolio centered on mixed feed products and commodities, supplemented by related services including nutritional and technical consulting, custom blending, commodity contracting, and transportation logistics. The core product offering consists of feed inputs manufactured to customer specifications, with complementary advisory services. The company is a subsidiary of J.D. Heiskell Holdings, LLC, an agribusiness company with over 137 years of experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mixed Feed Products
• Commodities
• Custom Blending Services
• Commodity Contracting
• Nutritional and Technical Consulting
• Calf Feeding Program
• Transportation and Logistics Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Reliable, on-time delivery of feed products to customer specifications
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• J.D. Heiskell Holdings, LLCcoreOthersGold Star Feed and Grain is a subsidiary of J.D. Heiskell Holdings, LLC (JDHH), a global agribusiness company with over 137 years of experience. JDHH provides corporate oversight, benefits administration, and operational support to Gold Star, enabling access to global commodity markets and supply chain resources.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Land O'Lakes / Purina Animal Nutrition: Farmer-owned cooperative producing Purina branded dairy and livestock feeds with national distribution and significant Northeast presence, competing for both feed and nutrition consulting dollars.
• Southern States Cooperative: Farmer-owned cooperative offering dairy, livestock, and crop inputs across the eastern U.S. — overlaps with Gold Star on feed manufacturing and nutrition advisory services for dairy producers.
• Perdue AgriBusiness: Integrated grain originator and feed ingredient supplier with East Coast operations that compete with JDHH/Gold Star on commodity trading and supply contracts to dairy and livestock producers.
• Cargill Animal Nutrition: Global agribusiness offering a broad portfolio of dairy, beef, and poultry feed alongside commodity procurement; competes with Gold Star at the larger dairy accounts across the Northeast.
• ADM Animal Nutrition: Major agribusiness with a full animal feed lineup, commodity origination, and on-farm dairy services — overlaps with Gold Star's feed manufacturing plus grains/proteins trading streams.

Direct peers

• Kent Nutrition Group: Regional feed manufacturer serving dairy and livestock producers in the Midwest and Northeast with custom feed blends and dealer/distributor delivery models comparable to Gold Star's direct sales approach.
• Poulin Grain: Independent Northeast U.S. feed manufacturer focused on dairy, livestock, and equine customers with custom blending, nutrition consulting, and on-farm delivery — the closest scale and go-to-market analog to Gold Star.
• Blue Seal / KENT Equine and Livestock Feeds: Northeast-anchored feed brand focused on dairy, equine, and specialty livestock with dealer-based distribution; competes head-to-head with Gold Star on regional upstate New York dairy accounts.
• Vita Plus Corporation: Midwest/Northeast dairy nutrition specialist providing custom feed programs, forage analysis, and on-farm consulting — closely comparable to Gold Star's nutrition consulting + custom blending wedge.

Others

• J.D. Heiskell Holdings (parent): Diversified agribusiness parent with feed manufacturing, grain trading, and livestock services across the western U.S. — directly comparable because Gold Star operates as JDHH's Northeast dairy platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/JDHCo
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gold-star-feed-and-grain-llc

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Gold Star