Special Announcement - March 18, 2025 | | |
Aloha, kākou! As Pacific Biodiesel celebrates its 30th Anniversary this year, we are honored that March 18, 2025 has been proclaimed "Pacific Biodiesel Day."
This year, March 18 marks a trio of calendar days that reflects our company’s community-based biodiesel production model supporting Hawaiʻi’s circular economy, including:
- National Biodiesel Day
- Global Recycling Day
- National Agriculture Day
Also today, we are recognizing all our Pacific Biodiesel employees for their continued support of our company’s mission. Read all the recognition announcements in this special issue.
| | Today Is National Biodiesel Day | | Pacific Biodiesel Presented with Proclamation in Recognition of Company's 30th Anniversary | | |
Founded on Maui in 1995, Pacific Biodiesel is Americaʻs longest operating biodiesel producer and has been the only commercial producer of liquid biofuels in Hawai’i for three decades. Today, with nearly 100 employees statewide, the company annually produces 6 million gallons of distilled biodiesel – a 100% renewable fuel that’s sold entirely in Hawai’i.
Honoring our local company that has inspired a global biodiesel industry, Hawaiʻi’s Governor Josh Green, M.D. has proclaimed March 18, 2025 “Pacific Biodiesel Day" in Hawai'i.
In his proclamation, Governor Green encouraged “the people of the Aloha State to join me in honoring this local company for their efforts in demonstrating a community-based model of regenerative agriculture and renewable fuel; helping to fight climate change; and supporting energy security and food sovereignty in our state.”
| | The Governor's proclamation was presented by Lt. Governor Sylvia Luke to Pacific Biodiesel President Bob King and Director of Operations Jenna Long, pictured here, at the State Capitol last week. | |
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Above, Bob King at the first retail biodiesel pump in America he created on Maui in 1995; and, below, is Director of Operations Jenna Long as a young girl at the first biodiesel plant on Maui.
Bob recalls, "That first Maui plant produced 250,000 gallons of biodiesel each year. At the time, that was 20% of the US biodiesel production, and we sold all of that fuel on Maui."
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What's National Biodiesel Day?
Each year, National Biodiesel Day honors the visionary inventor of the diesel engine, Rudolph Diesel, on his birthday, March 18. Invented in the 1890s and unveiled at the World’s Fair in 1900, his diesel engine was originally designed to run on peanut oil. Rudolph Diesel pioneered an innovative engine technology and the recognition of plant oils as a renewable fuel source.
And it was another pioneer, one right here in Hawaiʻi, who saw the potential (and developed the commercial-scale production technology) for recycling used cooking oil into biodiesel, a clean -burning biofuel that replaces petroleum diesel (fossil fuel). The local pioneer is our company's founder, Bob King. He created the first retail biodiesel pump in America at the Central Maui landfill back in 1995 – the year he and Kelly King co-founded Pacific Biodiesel.
That revolutionary first plant on Maui initiated the entire biodiesel industry, which has since scaled up to more than 2 billion gallons of biodiesel produced in the USA last year alone.
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#ICYMI: Pacific Biodiesel Cover Story
Pacific Biodiesel was the cover story in Biobased Diesel magazine's Winter 2025 issue, kicking off our company's 30th Anniversary year. Mahalo again to First Hawaiian Bank for this great portrait of our Founders Bob and Kelly King.
| | | | Today Is Global Recycling Day | | |
On this Global Recycling Day, Pacific Biodiesel is giving a Mahalo shoutout to our restaurant and foodservice customers around the state who recycle their used cooking oil (UCO) with our company, helping to keep this waste out of local landfills. We utilize Hawaiʻi's UCO for the production of biodiesel at our refinery on Hawaiʻi Island.
One example is Foodland – Hawaiʻi’s largest grocery retailer and the only locally owned supermarket, with 29 stores statewide. Last year alone, we estimate that the total gallons of UCO we recycled from Foodland locations statewide allowed us to produce nearly 21,500 gallons of biodiesel!
And when that 100% renewable fuel was later used in diesel engines around the state – from electricity production to powering boats, cars and trucks – it helped prevent nearly 450,000 LBS of carbon dioxide (CO2) from entering our atmosphere. That means in 2024, Foodland helped prevent 225 TONS of CO2 – harmful greenhouse gas emissions – from entering and polluting our atmosphere!
“We are grateful for the support of our customers around Hawaiʻi, including Foodland, who are helping to make a positive impact on Planet Earth and our local green economy,” said Director of Operations Jenna Long.
| | | Recognition: It's a Kākou Thing! | | |
We appreciate our employees around the state who work together – in the spirit of kākou – to support our companyʻs mission. To mahalo our dedicated employees on "Pacific Biodiesel Day" in Hawaiʻi, our company today gave every employee a gift card from Foodland.
“The community-focused values of Foodland are similar to our own. That's why Pacific Biodiesel chose Foodland gift cards, to support another local company that supports local farmers and food producers that help feed our local communities,” said Director of Operations Jenna Long.
Pictured here is one of many group photos of our teams around the state receiving their Mahalo gift cards.
| | Several Pacific Biodiesel Maui employees pose for a "Pacific Biodiesel Day" photo with store managers at Foodland Kehalani. | | | | |
March 18 is National Agriculture Day – and this year's theme is "Together We Grow." This week, as our Kaua'i team prepares to harvest another 100 acres of sunflowers shown here drying down in the field, our Director of Agriculture Operations James Twigg-Smith (pictured at left) reflects on the #AGDAY25 theme.
"Just a short 120 days ago, these plants began their life as seeds eagerly striving for growth," Twigg-Smith said. "In many ways, we as humans can assimilate with the sunflower’s ever changing and evolving nature."
"In this spirit, we celebrate Ag Day 2025. It is our responsibility to grow, learn and evolve together, in the spirit of kākou," he said. "In Hawaiʻi we understand the value of kākou – of supporting each other in our daily lives. The same is true for our team as we work together each day to help achieve a more climate friendly, energy independent and food secure Hawaiʻi."
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#AGDAY25 – According to nonprofit The Agriculture Council of America (ACA), National Ag Day encourages every American to:
- Understand how food, fiber, and fuel products are produced.
- Appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant, and affordable products.
- Value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy.
- Acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food and fiber industry.
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| | Founded in 1995, Pacific Biodiesel is the nation's longest operating and most experienced biodiesel producer, and the only commercial producer of liquid biofuels in the state. A Maui-based company with nearly 100 employees statewide, we established the first retail biodiesel pump in America and for three decades we've been an innovative leader in the renewable energy industry. With a nameplate production capacity of 5.5 million gallons annually, our refinery on Hawaiʻi Island utilizes advanced technology to produce premium distilled biodiesel. Our company has always focused on recycling with a zero waste philosophy that incorporates development of value-added co-products. Today, our collaborative, community-based "regenerative agriculture and renewable energy" production model demonstrates a circular economy approach to fighting climate change and helps Hawaiʻi achieve a clean, sustainable energy future. | | |
Founded on Maui in 1995, Pacific Biodiesel is Hawaiʻi's only commercial producer of liquid biofuels.
Our Mission: To promote a clean, sustainable energy future through the community-based production of renewable fuels
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Pacific Biodiesel
2050 Main Street, Suite 3B
Wailuku, HI 96793
Editor: Joy Galatro, Marketing Director
Staff Writer & Layout: Beth Mathias, Marketing Associate
For more information visit our website
biodiesel.com
or contact Beth Mathias at
bmathias@biodiesel.com
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