Having spent nearly 20 years in the ethanol industry, Craig Willis, CEO of Eco Energy, says he has witnessed parts of the United States transition from minimal ethanol use to embracing ethanol blends.
“We made that transition to 10% ethanol, and it happened pretty quickly—over a two- or three-year period. So that was really interesting to see,” Willis says. “Exports have grown exponentially since then. But from a growth perspective, we spend a lot of time—along with the rest of the industry—focused on adding more ethanol to the gas tank here in the United States. We’ve had this goal for many years, and I feel like I’ve been working on it since at least 2012: moving to 15% ethanol.”
Not only has ethanol consumption grown in the United States, but globally as well. In 2025, the U.S. exported 2.1 billion gallons of ethanol, which Willis says is expected to grow to 2.3 billion gallons in 2026.
