John Boos & Company circa 1900.
View larger.

The History of John Boos & Co

How It All Started

John Boos & Co. is the oldest industry in South Central Illinois, located in Effingham Illinois, and the company has been in business since 1887. Conrad Boos Sr. founded the business in 1887 and named it after his son, John. For many years he worked out of the blacksmith shop in Effingham, and lumber was cut from areas in close proximity. In 1892, the plant moved to its present location at 315 South First Street in Effingham.

John Boos & Co. is the oldest industry in Effingham, Illinois.
View larger.

The blacksmith used a Sycamore tree placed on three legs to straighten horseshoes. The wooden block absorbed the shock of the hammer. In 1890, a local butcher realized the block could be used for cutting meat, and had one made for this purpose. The word spread to surrounding small towns and cities and by 1911, John Boos was shipping from coast to coast. Commercial meat markets were very popular through the 1959, and with the advent of dishwashers and plastic, the commercial market began to feel the impact of a lower-cost alternative, though perhaps not as safe!

In 1956, John Boos began to take some of their products to local retail shops and offer the blocks and cutting boards for resale. Merchants would sell these products to consumers for home use. Today, it is common to see John Boos cutting boards in both the commercial kitchen of hotels and restaurants, culinary schools and even cooking shows on television. The old craftsmen work ethic is still around at John Boos & Co. There have been a few changes, though. Sycamore lumber is no longer used--John Boos manufactures premium Hard Rock Maple lumber from surrounding states in the mid-west, most of which comes from the Northern States. And John Boos automation has replaced much of the older equipment. The 1942 block press is one piece of equipment that's still very much in use today, however.

John Boos & Co. utilizes 100% of their raw material to benefit the manufacturing processes. The smallest lumber scraps are transformed into sawdust and used as the material of choice to generate electricity and create steam to fuel the boilers. The steam is also used to operate the glue presses and dry kilns. Any saw dust unused by the company is provided to the local agricultural industry.

The Early Years

In 1892 the Boos family sold interest in the company to the Gravenhorst family.
View larger.

In 1892 the Boos family sold interest in the company to the Gravenhorst family. (There is currently a fifth generation Gravenhorst working for the company. T.S. Gravenhorst, III was named President in 1978 and held that office until retirement in 2002.) In 1895 the building burned and was rebuilt; however, in1899 it was decided that more space was needed, and it was then that they moved to the present site of 315 South First Street. The building was purchased from the old Effingham furniture manufacturing company.

In 1920, extra buildings and kiln capacity were added. By the 1940s, butcher blocks were found in every restaurant, food store and butcher shop in America. Then came World War II, which was instrumental in changing the manufacturing philosophy of the management at John Boos and also the course of the business.

Last Half of the Century

In 1955, the company expanded by adding a dry kiln, increasing its office space and adding more manufacturing space. The shipping docks were enlarged, warehousing space added and new products added. In addition to the standard old-style butcher blocks, butcher block tops, which are laminated strips of northern hard rock maple or Appalachian red oak, were in great demand, not only in the foodservice industry, but also in the home.

View larger.

The company continued to expand during the late 1960s and early '70s with the growth of its metal fabricated table market. Metal tables had replaced the butcher block as a necessary product in the majority of foodservice/supermarket establishments. Tables with poly or synthetic tops, stainless-steel tops and maple tops were being manufactured. And even though the government was tough on wood products through the 1970s and '80s, the company continued to grow with its new line of BDL store fixtures, park benches and other butcher block furniture items.

Current Products & Markets

The wood and metal products are listed with the National Sanitation Foundation, the leader in sanitation agencies for approving equipment to be installed in foodservice and supermarket operations. The products must have approval of various sanitation agencies in order to be accepted by the industry.

John Boos & Co. Cucina products, butcher blocks and cutting boards are being used by celebrity chefs throughout the United States. Celebrity chefs currently using John Boos products are Charlie Trotter, Ming Tsai, Paul Kahan, Susan Spicer at Bayona Restaurant in New Orleans, and Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feninger at Border Grill in Santa Monica, California. In addition, the country's premier food channel, "The Food Network" features chefs such as Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse, who prepare meals every day on John Boos cutting boards. In most cases Boos cutting boards are used on the daily and weekly television programs sponsored for the chefs.

In 1994 we were awarded the Gold Medal for Excellence in Foodservice Equipment by the Chefs of America. This ceremony was conducted at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and we were 1 of only 22 companies receiving awards.