A new $300 million facility in Eddyville has begun producing a corn-based chemical that will be used to make consumer goods.
Jon Veldhouse is the CEO of Qore, a joint venture of Minnesota-based Cargill and a German chemical company called HELM AG. He says they’ve named the product QIRA. “QIRA is a building block that goes into a multitude of end products,” he says. “Think of consumers, so one of the easiest to relate to is in stretch fabrics for apparel that we wear.”
QIRA is an alternative to chemicals made from fossil fuels that are used to make spandex fibers as well as rigid and flexible plastics. The company projects the chemical will be used in automotive, electronics, packaging and beauty industries as well as in fashion. QIRA is made from dent corn — a type of field corn that has a high soft starch content — and the company is buying it from farmers within a 100-mile radius of the Eddyville facility.
“We hope this technology and technologies like this continues to drive demand for U.S. corn and create new markets,” Veldhouse said.
The company plans to export QIRA to other countries. “We’ll be competing against fossil-derived materials,” he said. “The latest market today actually comes from a coal-based process in China.”
Production of QIRA began Tuesday. Consumer goods made from the chemical are expected to be made available in the spring of 2026.
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