Headquartered in Kahului, Hawaii, Pacific Biodiesel was conceived in 1995 in response to serious environmental and health concerns surrounding unmanageable quantities of used cooking oil at the Central Maui Landfill. Robert King, then owner of King Diesel that maintains the landfill’s generators, proposed converting the restaurant waste into biodiesel that would fuel the generators. Within a year, his proposal was a reality.  The original small-scale plant — recognized as one of the first commercially viable biodiesel plants in the U.S. — marks the beginning of our company.  Since opening and operating the very first retail biodiesel pump in America, Pacific Biodiesel has built a solid reputation as a leading pioneer in the rapidly expanding biodiesel industry.  Pacific Biodiesel began offering its multi-feedstock process technology to other developing companies in 1997. That’s when Japanese businessman Soichiro “Sol” Yoshida contracted Pacific Biodiesel to design and build a plant for his Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in Nagano, Japan. Shortly after the completion of the Nagano plant, we began to attack an even larger problem for the Maui Landfill — grease trap waste. With the addition of a custom designed processor, the plant is able to supply its own boiler fuel while diverting 270 tons of trap grease from the landfill each month.  In 2000, Pacific Biodiesel built a facility in Honolulu with a current capacity double that of the Maui plant.  Since its inception over 15 years ago, Pacific Biodiesel has built 12 facilities on the mainland U.S. and Japan, and completed expansions on several of those plants. It’s newest venture, Big Island Biodiesel, located on Hawaii Island, began production in the 4th quarter of 2012. Featuring zero-waste processing, this facility produces the highest quality biodiesel available in the country.  The company has been recognized as a renewable energy pioneer by local, national, and international organizations including: the US Dept. of Energy, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Solid Waste Association of North America, the Small Business Administration, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.