The $250 million Incobrasa expansion in Gilman, Illinois has formally come online, with Governor JB Pritzker cutting the ribbon on June 22, 2026 at a new soybean crushing plant and solar array that nearly doubles the family owned processor’s output. Incobrasa Industries built the project directly beside its existing complex in Gilman, a town in Iroquois County roughly 90 miles south of Chicago, adding 170,000 square feet of state of the art production space. Company quality control manager Kerry Fogarty described the new crush plant as the single largest extraction operation in the country, requiring close to 300,000 bushels of soybeans a day and lifting annual throughput from about 43 million bushels toward nearly 100 million. Alongside the processing building, Incobrasa constructed a 50 acre solar array capable of generating 5 megawatts, enough to power the plant directly or feed surplus electricity back to the grid. The expansion creates 40 new full time jobs while retaining 200 existing positions, and Pritzker used the ceremony to reinforce Illinois standing as the nation’s top soybean producer, as recorded in the governor’s office announcement. The investment was supported by the state’s Economic Development for a Growing Economy tax credit, which carried a minimum spend threshold of $155.8 million. Incobrasa first began crushing soybeans in Gilman in 1997 and has steadily built the site into a vertically integrated hub spanning extraction, refining, food grade oil packaging and biodiesel. The completed plant is the central milestone in the company’s Incobrasa 2030 programme.

What the Gilman Soybean Plant Means for Illinois Agriculture and Biofuels

The timing of the project speaks to a wider build out of crush capacity across the American Midwest, driven by surging demand for soybean oil as a feedstock for renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel. Illinois is the nation’s largest soybean producer and its fourth largest biodiesel producer, and state officials cited projections that global renewable fuel demand will rise by 28 percent between 2021 and 2026. Incobrasa frames the new plant as a stable domestic outlet for around 7,000 local family farms, reducing the region’s exposure to volatile export markets and trade tension with China. National Oilseed Processors Association leadership noted at the ceremony that expansions of this kind now let the United States process three of every five rows of soybeans grown nationally, keeping more value inside the supply chain. The plant also reflects the logistics advantage of central Illinois, with the site served by the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway under Genesee and Wyoming. The investment sits within a broader wave of Illinois industrial construction, comparable in scale to the speculative Class A facilities that Seefried Properties developed in Elgin, though Incobrasa’s project is purpose built for agricultural processing rather than warehousing. Together these developments underline how the state continues to attract capital to both its food processing and distribution sectors.

Incobrasa Expansion Timeline and What Comes Next in Gilman

Construction on the Gilman expansion began with a groundbreaking ceremony in September 2023, and the June 2026 ribbon cutting marked the formal completion and start of operations. With the new crush line running, Incobrasa is positioned to pursue the remaining goals of its Incobrasa 2030 plan, which targets more than doubling production capacity by the end of the decade. The most significant variable ahead is federal biofuel policy, since demand for soybean oil as a renewable fuel feedstock depends heavily on blending mandates and clean fuel incentives that remain subject to change in Washington. State support also carries conditions, as the Economic Development for a Growing Economy agreement ties incentives to investment and job commitments that the company must meet over the term. Quality control manager Kerry Fogarty credited coordinated lobbying by groups including the Illinois Soybean Association and Clean Fuels Alliance America for securing the policy environment that made the plant viable, as reported by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The next phase will test whether the doubled capacity can be filled consistently.

Project Fact Sheet

• Project Name: Incobrasa Industries Soybean Processing Expansion
• Location: Gilman, Iroquois County, Illinois, United States
• Project Value: $250 million, per Governor JB Pritzker’s office and the Illinois DCEO
• Client/Owner: Incobrasa Industries Ltd.
• Key Components: 170,000 square foot soybean crushing plant and a 50 acre, 5 megawatt solar array
• Production Capacity: Around 300,000 bushels of soybeans per day, lifting annual throughput from about 43 million bushels toward nearly 100 million
• Procurement Model: Privately financed expansion supported by an Illinois EDGE tax credit with a $155.8 million minimum spend threshold
• Construction Start: Groundbreaking in September 2023
• Completion: Ribbon cutting on June 22, 2026
• Jobs Created: 40 new full time jobs, with 200 existing positions retained
• Environmental Features: On site 5 megawatt solar array and reduced greenhouse gas emissions through biodiesel feedstock production
• Strategic Impact: Provides a domestic market for roughly 7,000 local family farms and strengthens Illinois as a soybean processing and biofuels hub

Project Team

• Client/Owner: Incobrasa Industries Ltd.
• President and CEO: Aluizio Ribeiro
• Main Contractor: Not yet disclosed
• State Incentive Agency: Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
• Government Champion: Office of Governor JB Pritzker, State of Illinois
• Rail Service Provider: Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway, operated by Genesee and Wyoming

Frequently Asked Questions

How much did the Incobrasa expansion in Gilman cost? The Incobrasa expansion cost $250 million, according to Governor JB Pritzker’s office and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

What does the Incobrasa Gilman plant produce? The plant crushes soybeans into meal for animal feed and oil that can be refined into biodiesel, food grade vegetable oil and other renewable fuel products.

How many jobs did the Incobrasa expansion create? The expansion created 40 new full time jobs while retaining 200 existing positions at the Gilman site.

When was the Incobrasa expansion completed? The project was completed and celebrated with a ribbon cutting on June 22, 2026, after breaking ground in September 2023.

How much can the Incobrasa Gilman plant process? The new crush plant requires close to 300,000 bushels of soybeans per day and lifts the company’s annual capacity toward nearly 100 million bushels.