BLANCHARDVILLE, Wis. — Blanchardville Cooperative Oil Association is expanding farther into southwest Wisconsin after members of both cooperatives approved a merger with Livingston Cooperative Oil Company, a move that will take effect Nov. 1 and give Blanchardville Co-op a majority stake in the newly formed organization.

The merger extends a relationship that had already been in place for more than a year. Blanchardville Co-op General Manager Gery Steinmetz said his company has been handling refined-fuel deliveries for Livingston customers since about July 2025, making the combination a relatively natural next step rather than an entirely new market entry.

“This actually really is a strategic move on our part,” Steinmetz said, describing Livingston as a fit that expands the co-op’s coverage while allowing it to serve more customers using services, processes and personnel it already has in place.

Blanchardville Co-op’s public footprint is already considerably larger than its name might suggest. The cooperative says it has more than 1,500 members, operates convenience stores in Blanchardville, Argyle and New Glarus, owns a Culver’s restaurant in New Glarus, maintains bulk fuel operations and delivers fuel to more than 2,000 homes, farms and businesses. Steinmetz has described the operation as generating about $15 million in sales across a five-county region.