Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey has announced Kwik Trip Inc. and the Iowa 80 Truckstop in Walcott as winners of the 2018 Secretary’s Ethanol and Biodiesel Marketing Awards.

The awards were created by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to recognize fuel marketers that have gone above and beyond in their efforts to promote and sell renewable fuels, including hosting special events, developing creative signage, initiating new advertisements or marketing efforts, and dramatically increasing renewable fuel availability.

Kwik Trip is the winner of the 2018 Secretary’s Ethanol Marketing Award. The company is headquartered in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and operates 86 stores in Iowa, including 69 locations that sell fuel. Currently, 25 Iowa Kwik Trip locations sell E15, with 25 locations that sell E85.

According to information released by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Kwik Trip believes E15 is a standard fuel and needs a consistent name, so customers will repeatedly associate the name with the fuel. The company markets E15 under the grade name Unleaded 88. This new marketing has brought the highest adoption rate for sales of their Unleaded 88 product in Iowa surpassing the sales of similar offerings in Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Along with their own successful marketing of E15, Kwik Trip believes that the state of Iowa’s leadership on ethanol paired with educational outreach directed at consumers has contributed greatly to the success of E15 sales in the state of Iowa.

Iowa 80 Truckstop in Walcott is the winner of the 2018 Secretary's Biodiesel Marketing Award. The station has offered biodiesel since 2002 and currently offers between B11 and B20 blends throughout the year. The company is a long-time supporter of renewable fuels and the Renewable Fuel Standard. Most recently, company owner Delia Moon Meier published an op-ed in the Des Moines Register supporting biodiesel and the RFS.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship also pointed out that the station bills itself as “The World’s Largest Truckstop,” noting that making biodiesel available at a prominent, well-known location boosts the fuel’s exposure and credibility with truckers.

“Kwik Trip and the Iowa 80 Truckstop have helped lead the way towards widespread consumer access to renewable fuels,” said Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. “They are market leaders and move serious amounts of ethanol and biodiesel to the benefit of their customers, biofuel producers, and Iowa farmers. IRFA congratulates them on their well-deserved recognition.”