Kwik Trip Earns Renewable Fuels Marketing Award in Iowa
LA CROSSE, Wis. — Kwik Trip Inc. is one of two recipients being honored with a 2023 Renewable Fuels Marketing Award in Iowa, which recognizes fuel marketers that have gone above and beyond in their efforts to promote and sell renewable fuels.
La Crosse-based Kwik Trip was honored with the Secretary's Biodiesel Marketing Award and Growmark FS was honored with the Secretary's Ethanol Marketing Award. Both retailers were spotlighted during the FUELIowa annual meeting held in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 10.
"Iowa's renewable fuels industry continues to thrive, creating value-added markets for our crops, employing thousands of Iowans, and offering cleaner and more affordable fuel to consumers," said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. "Growmark FS is being honored for their efforts to market ethanol and Kwik Trip | Kwik Star is receiving recognition for their biodiesel marketing. I want to thank both of those companies and their employees for continuing to build demand for Iowa produced renewable fuels."
Known as Kwik Trip in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and as Kwik Star in Iowa, the convenience store and fuel retailer has been selling biodiesel in Iowa since 2016, and offers diesel islands at more than 300 of its 800-plus locations across the Midwest. Kwik Trip has embraced including biodiesel blends from 5 percent to 20 percent across Iowa and only purchases biodiesel that meets or exceeds the ASTM D6751 standard and BQ-9000 quality protocol.
Since 2020, Kwik Trip has been awarded more than 25 biodiesel grants to update existing infrastructure to sell biodiesel blends at locations across Iowa through the Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program. The initiative offers cost-share grants to help fuel retailers with the installation, replacement and conversion of motor fuel storage and dispensing infrastructure for E85 ethanol blends, registered E15 ethanol blends and biodiesel from equipment that is B20 compatible. The program is managed by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
Growmark FS (Fast Stop) is a leading supplier of refined and renewable fuels, and operates 19 Fast Stop locations in northwest Iowa. More than 4.5 million gallons of refined fuels are sold across Fast Stop locations each year.
Fast Stop offers E15 at all 19 locations, while seven of the sites offer higher blends of ethanol such as E30 and E85.
Iowa leads the nation in production of ethanol and biodiesel and is the first state in the country to have an E15 standard. Based on a 2021 analysis, the renewable fuels industry accounted for more than $5 billion of Iowa gross domestic product, generated $2.6 billion of income for Iowa households and supported nearly 46,000 jobs throughout the entire Iowa economy.