News Release Details

The small – but prestigious – fraternity of America’s elite fuel retailers gained one more member earlier this month with the selection of Indiana-based CountryMark as the newest “Top Tier” licensee. As such, CountryMark’s line of PLUS gasoline is now an officially recommended fuel for leading auto makers, including BMW, Audi, Toyota, Volkswagen, General Motors, and Honda.

“We’re extremely pleased and honored to have our PLUS gasoline fuels licensed by the Top Tier organization,” said Jon Lantz, CountryMark Vice President of Marketing. “This designation will let the automotive world know that our home-grown, All-American CountryMark gasoline is a world-class product and an excellent value for our customers.”

Top Tier detergent gasoline standards were developed by four auto manufacturers (BMW, GM, Honda, and Toyota) to create a winning situation for consumers, auto manufacturers, and gasoline retailers. Currently, many gasoline retailers provide fuels with lower-quality additive packages that can build up deposits on fuel injectors and intake valves, creating a negative impact on engine performance and vehicle responsiveness.

By contrast, Top Tier is a new class of gasoline containing enhanced detergency that far exceeds the current EPA intake valve deposit standards. This translates into optimum performance for today’s modern fuel-injected engines through better fuel economy, cleaner air, longer engine life, unsurpassed anticorrosion protection, and fuel stability.

“The Top Tier performance package in our PLUS gasoline is the new voluntary gold standard for gasoline detergency,” stated CountryMark Sales Manager Steve Thomas. “It’s added value for the consumer.”

To earn the TOP Tier designation, prospective gasoline retailers must meet stringent standards and have all grades of their gasoline approved. In addition, all gasoline outlets carrying the brand of the approved retailer must meet the Top Tier standards.

CountryMark began adding its proprietary PLUS formula to its gasoline products in August of 2008. In addition to the Top Tier performance package, the PLUS line also has two other distinct features: 1) it’s made from 100% American crude oil, and 2) includes a 10% blend of ethanol made from corn grown by Indiana farmers.

By being licensed as a Top Tier retailer, CountryMark became only the twenty-first gasoline retailer in the United States to receive this fuel quality designation. CountryMark is also the only Indiana fuel refiner to have reached this status, and the only farmer-owned fuel refiner that is producing Top Tier gasoline. The company will now be able to use Top Tier trademarks in the promotion, sale, and distribution of its gasoline products.

The PLUS package is available in all octane choices at all CountryMark retail and commercial fuel sites. Customers may also arrange to have All-American PLUS gasoline delivered to their business or farm by contacting a CountryMark branded dealer.

“Our PLUS line of gasoline is the right fuel for the times,” said Lantz.