8/17/26 Meeting Minutes 

8/17/26 Meeting Minutes
 
Attendees: Catti, Adam, Aaron J, Cindy, Rich, Aaron K., Casey, Bob F., Hubert, Dave, Bob W., Lynn, Ron, Ann
 
Brag bucks:
Bob W. – Lucky to be alive
 
Upcoming speakers: 8/24 – Dave Martin’s sister from the FBI
                                                8/31 – Casey Berlau from Carroll Community School District
                                                9/7 – No meeting due to Labor Day Holiday
                                                9/14 – Chris Van Dyke on City golf Championship strategies
                                                9/21 – Possible ditch clean up
                                                9/28 – Chris Pudenz with IA Farm Bureau
 
Speakers: Danika Gordon and Abbie Miller with Ag Certain
  • Located in Boone (east of Boone out by Fareway warehouse)
  • 7 years old; started in 2019; privately held
  • Delivers products and services where identity preservation and traceability matter; focus on food and oleochemicals
  • People are becoming more concerned with where food comes from and that the food is what it says it is (100% avocado oil, better be 100% avocado oil)
  • Small to mid-size, highly flexible production
  • Strategically located in the heartland
  • 1st product: glycerin (food-grade); derived from soybeans;
  • 2nd product: specialty oils and lipids (nonGMO corn oil, avocado oil, etc.)
    • Walnut oil is processed in US and sent to Italy for Passover Week
  • Audited twice a month by large entities and can be random
  • In your body and on your body the standards are very very high so VIP that cleanliness is maintained.
  • 100 people in the whole business
  • Also own Maytag Dairy farms in Newton; acquired in 2022; handmakes bleu cheese; recently expanded into Cheddar cheeses as well
  • Small line will fill a semi daily
  • Large line will fill a rail car per day
  • Processing is a refining process:
    • glycerin – remove excess water and salt: water stripping, distillation (largest step), deodorization, bleaching (carbon pellets)
    • oil – degumming, bleaching, dewaxing, FFA (free fatty acids) removal, deodorization
  • Salt that is left over goes into animal food (6 million pounds per month)
  • Just broke ground on wastewater facility to clean and reuse
  • Tours are welcome
  • Partner with ISU
  • Entry-level $22.50/hour; promoted quickly; raised or promoted every 6-9 months
 
Next meeting is Monday, August 24th from 12-1 PM at Piranha Club with Dave Martin’s sister as our speaker. She works for the FBI.