The Winter 2025 edition of Biobased Diesel Magazine features a thought provoking piece from Pacific Biodiesel co-founder Kelly King, as she takes a look back at the past three decades, from the inception of the company through its current expansion in regenerative agriculture for food and fuel.

“I remember the conversation clearly, three decades ago, when my husband Bob King had an idea that would change our lives—and the trajectory of the burgeoning biofuels industry in America—forever,”

Bob King at the first biodiesel pump in the U.S., which opened in 1996.

she notes. “Back then, Bob was a diesel mechanic and we owned a generator business on Maui. He had been contracted to maintain and repair the Central Maui Landfill generators, where he often saw haulers dumping copious amounts of restaurant used cooking oil (UCO). He knew this daily occurrence was creating a ripple effect of environmental hazards, including fires caused by UCO heating up composting materials and spontaneously combusting.”

“Bob wondered … Could that waste oil be recycled into something useful instead of being discarded, polluting our island and possibly contaminating our groundwater? He remembered how, when the oil embargo of the 1970s caused nationwide gasoline shortages, truckers in a pinch could stop at a grocery store and buy a few gallons of vegetable oil to fuel their semis so they could get down the road to the next gas station. The situation at the Maui landfill inspired Bob’s idea: If cooking oil could be a fuel for diesel rigs, what about used cooking oil?”

“Bob calculated UCO volumes generated on Maui and then, with help from researchers in Idaho, he designed and built a pilot biodiesel-processing facility that was installed at the very landfill on Maui where his original idea was sparked. Production began in 1996, and that year Bob opened the first retail biodiesel pump in America.”

Now after building more than a dozen biodiesel refineries around the world and advancing processing technology with each iteration, Pacific Biodiesel celebrates its 30th anniversary.

“Reflecting back on the past 30 years, the clearest factor to date is the strong support of those who believe in our mission. We are grateful to have had immense support from our employees and customers, community groups and environmental advocates, elected officials and leaders from all levels of government. These biodiesel champions have encouraged us to keep forging ahead and their support mattered when we needed it most,” said King.

The article recounts support from some of those champions including, Willie and Annie Nelson, Woody and Laura Harrelson, John Paul DeJoria, co-founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems and The Patrón Spirits Company, and Jack and Kim Johnson.

Read the full article in Biobased Diesel Daily here.