Kwik Star, a Kwik Trip convenience-store brand, and the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council (SDCUC) are partnering to promote ethanol-blended fuel across eastern South Dakota.
Throughout the spring, La Crosse, Wisconsin-based Kwik Star and SDCUC will run a joint educational campaign across Kwik Star’s South Dakota service area and organize to-be-announced events promoting the cost-saving benefits of ethanol blended fuels.
- Kwik Trip is No. 11 on CSP’s 2025 Top 40 Update to the 2024 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count. Watch for the full 2025 Top 202 ranking in the June issue of CSP magazine and in CSP Daily News.
Ethanol is a renewable resource made from plant materials such as corn, sugar cane and grasses, according to the Department of Energy (DOE). The most common ethanol blend is E10, or regular gasoline. Many gas stations also offer E15, commonly referred to as Regular 88, which is a blend of 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline. E85, which can only be used in flex fuel vehicles, contains up to about 85% ethanol and burns cleaner, leaving no residue.
“We are thrilled to partner with SDCUC this spring to promote Unleaded 88 and the benefits of 15% ethanol,” said Mark Meisner, vice president of marketing at Kwik Trip. “Fifteen percent ethanol provides a higher octane which burns cleaner and is good for the environment, and better for your wallet. It’s my fuel of choice.”
Through events at Kwik Star’s 11 South Dakota locations and ongoing educational efforts, the organizations are encouraging drivers to save at the pump with ethanol-blended fuels.
“As Kwik Star’s presence in South Dakota continues to grow, we look forward to partnering with them to grow South Dakotans’ utilization of ethanol blended fuels,” said Amanda Bechen, senior director of communications and marketing at SDCUC.
As of Dec. 19, there were 3,700 retail locations in 33 states selling E15 at a price point up to a dollar cheaper per gallon than regular gasoline, according to Growth Energy, a biofuel trade organization.
Other major convenience-store retailers that offer E15 include Sheetz, Thorntons, Kum & Go, bp, Maverik, Love’s, Circle K, RaceTrac, Kwik Trip, Cenex, Casey’s, Rutter's, Pump & Pantry, United Dairy Farmers, QuikTrip, Sinclair, Royal Farms, Murphy USA and Family Express.
The government currently restricts sales of E15 gasoline in summer months due to environmental concerns over smog, which the biofuel industry says are unfounded, according to a Reuters report. Other critics cite the potential for engine damage.
Last month, President Trump took steps to make E15 available year-round through his Executive Order Declaring a National Energy Emergency.
On Feb. 13, U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, introduced the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025, which includes the year-round, nationwide sale of E15. She has introduced several similar bills since 2015.
“My bill will put an end to years of patchwork regulations and finally make nationwide, year-round E15 a reality,” said Fischer.
The American Petroleum Institute (API), Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, National Corn Growers Association, National Farmer Union and National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) have endorsed the legislation, Fischer said.
Kwik Trip has 896 locations. One of the biggest independently held c-store chains in the country, it serves customers in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. It produces more than 80% of the products sold in its stores, supplied by its own bakery, commissary, dairy and distribution center.
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