POET
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Biofuel |
| Predecessor | Broin Companies |
| Founded | 1986 in Scotland, South Dakota, United States |
| Founder | Lowell Broin and sons |
| Headquarters | Sioux Falls , United States |
Area served | United States (Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Minnesota, South Dakota) |
Key people | Jeff Broin (former president) |
| Products | Bioethanol, distillers grains, syrup, corn oil, asphalt rejuvenators, liquefied CO2, dry ice |
POET LLC is an American company focused on the production of bioethanol within the biofuel industry. Formerly known as Broin Companies, this privately owned business is based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In 2007, POET was recognized by the Renewable Fuels Association as the leading ethanol producer in the United States, with an annual output of . Currently, POET manufactures approximately 3 billion gallons of ethanol each year, accounting for 19% of the nation’s total ethanol production.
The company manages 34 ethanol manufacturing facilities located throughout Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Minnesota, and South Dakota. Its range of coproducts includes animal feed components such as distillers grains, syrup, and corn oil, as well as asphalt rejuvenators, liquefied CO2, and dry ice.
History
POET traces its origins to Lowell Broin’s family farm in Wanamingo, Minnesota, where corn cultivation and livestock farming were conducted on 1,200 acres. In 1985, Lowell along with his sons constructed their inaugural ethanol plant. The company officially began operations in 1986 with its primary facility in Scotland, South Dakota, initially operating under the name Broin Farms, which later became Broin Companies.
In 2007, the company adopted the name POET. Then-president Jeff Broin stated that the new name was chosen to symbolize innovation and value generation rather than serving as an acronym. This rebranding unified all business units under the POET brand:
- Broin Companies → POET
- Broin Management → POET Plant Management
- Broin & Associates → POET Design & Construction
- Ethanol Products → POET Ethanol Products
- Dakota Gold Marketing → POET Nutrition
- Broin Enterprises → POET Research Center
POET’s plants have been visited by Presidents George W. Bush (2002), Barack Obama (2010), and Joe Biden (2022), highlighting the company's significance within the biofuel sector.
Cellulosic ethanol
An $8 million pilot facility was developed by POET to produce cellulosic ethanol utilizing corn cobs and other agricultural residues. Building upon this initiative, a commercial-scale operation was established through a joint venture with Royal DSM, named POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels, LLC. This partnership received a federal loan guarantee in July 2011 for constructing a plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa. However, following the announcement of the joint venture, the loan guarantee was ultimately declined. Although initially scheduled to open in 2013, the plant commenced operations in September 2014 but was shut down in 2020.