Chippewa Valley Ethanol Co. (CVEC) is celebrating its 30th anniversary today with an open house at its Benson, Minn. biorefinery.

CVEC began producing ethanol in 1996, founded by local corn producers and the local electric cooperative. Their vision sought out ways to add more value to the high quality corn they produced locally while stabilizing electricity rates. Starting with an annual capacity of 15 million gallons per year, CVEC has since expanded to 50 million gallons of capacity, and has attracted investment from more than 950 producers, elevators, and community members. In addition to producing fuel ethanol, CVEC is the parent company to Glacial Grain Spirits, which produces industrial and beverage grade alcohol, and CVEC is a founding owner of Renewable Products Marketing Group (RPMG), which currently markets approximately 2 billion gallons of ethanol and 2.2 million tons of distillers grains annually.

CVEC has been a member of the Renewable Fuels Association since 2001, with former general manager Bill Lee serving as RFA chairman in 2004 and 2005. General Manager Chad Friese currently sits on the RFA Board of Directors. “All of us at RFA are proud to join our friends at CVEC in celebrating this remarkable milestone,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “As the ethanol industry enters its next chapter, CVEC remains one of the most innovative, forward-looking companies in the business. We look forward to continuing our partnership with CVEC to build new markets and create new opportunities for ethanol producers and farmers alike.”