Proven tradition for the finest kitchens in the world
Quality, Craftsmanship and Innovation
When you buy a Boos Blocks®, you buy tradition – a tradition of producing the highest quality products, craftsmanship and design for our customers for over 135 years.
The Beginnings of John Boos & Co.
In 1887, it was in his Effingham blacksmith shop that founder Conrad Boos developed what would become the original Boos Block. Having harvested Sycamore from local wooded areas, Conrad then processed it in his sawmill and brought it to his blacksmith shop for finishing. He used that first solid round Sycamore slab placed on three legs as a block to absorb the shock of a smith’s hammer against the anvil. A local butcher, having seen the block, became intrigued and requested one for his meat market. Conrad’s son, John, would fulfill the request and so began the journey of John Boos & Co. making butcher blocks and serving customers in the commercial market sector for over 135 years.
Where steel meets wood, Boos Blocks® are best
In 1892, German immigrant Adelbert Gravenhorst acquired controlling interest in the company, and together Conrad Boos, John Boos and Gravenhorst set the company on the path to success. Focused and committed to making the best butcher blocks of the highest quality and craftsmanship, the reputation soon arose: "Where steel meets wood, Boos Blocks® are best". True to this motto, John Boos & Co. then exhibited its product at the World's Fair in Paris in 1900 – and with great success. It wasn't long before Boos® Butcher Blocks found their way into most restaurants, grocery stores and meat markets in America.
John Boos & Co. – Flexible, Innovative, Adaptable
With such a functional product, the company continued to grow in the years that followed, even through tough times of the Great Depression era in the U.S. (1929-1941). This period honed the skills and focus of managers and workers and when faced with new market requirements, the company proved its flexibility, ingenuity and adaptability by allocating 80% of its production to the manufacture of work tables and table tops for the mess halls and kitchens of the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine in support of the war effort. This not only kept the company afloat but led to John Boos & Co.’s growth during this time.The company expanded its products lines and strengthened its manufacturing capabilities and service culture. Manufacturing of wood work tables, table tops, and cutting boards joined the classic butcher blocks to meet the growing requirements of the food service industry and the residential market in the USA.
Boos-style expansion
To adapt to the ever-changing market, John Boos & Co. made its first stainless-steel table in the 1960s and, over time, developed an entire range of stainless-steel fabricated products. This move set the stage for supplying stadiums and arenas as well as other venues in the late 1990s, making the company a leading supplier of gourmet products and foodservice equipment.
Of course, expansion of production facilities and increased staff were not spared to keep up with the ever-growing demand. Though the company moved in 2012, the current 87,000 square foot facility is still located in Effingham, IL and provides generous space for innovation and growth. In the meantime, John Boos & Co. has also established a presence in Europe in order to be even better positioned internationally.
Shaping the future with a commitment to excellence
Today, well over a century after the first Boos® Butcher Block, John Boos & Co. is active worldwide, bringing the joy of cooking to kitchens around the globe with high quality cutting surfaces, workspaces and performance driven equipment.
Though much has changed in the five generations since the company first started, our customers know from experience that our commitment to excellence and the highest quality products is as important today as it was when Conrad and John Boos first started with the local butcher all those years ago. It’s endured since 1887 and is here to stay!
History - since 1887
1887
Founder Conrad Boos harvested Sycamore from wooded areas around Effingham, IL, processed it at his sawmill, and then brought it to his blacksmith shop for finishing. The first innovation was a sycamore tree placed on three legs to absorb the shock of the blacksmith’s hammer against the anvil. When the local butcher saw and admired the innovation, he realized that he could use one in his meat market. Conrad’s son, John, adapted the idea and handcrafted himself his own butcher block.
1892
Boos family sells John Boos & Co. to a German immigrant named Adelbert Gravenhorst, an enterprising businessman who joined Conrad and John Boos to incorporate John Boos & Co. John F. Boos is elected the 1st president of the company. (Photo: Old pulley systems drive the machinery equipment.)
1895
John Boos & Co. location on Jefferson St. burned down and was rebuilt. Seven years later, John Boos & Co. expands and moves to a new location on South 1st St. in Effingham, IL.
1902
Adelbert Gravenhorst becomes President of John Boos & Co.
1929
John Boos & Co. successfully continues to grow its business despite the Great Depression Era.
(Photo: Wood Plant Employees during the Great Depression Era.)
1941
John Boos & Co. expands product lines to include foodservice work tables and countertops as 80% of production is earmarked for WWII to equip military aid. (Photo: Hand Block Press)
1955
John Boos & Co. expands by adding a dry kiln, additional offices, and more manufacturing space. Shipping docks and warehousing is expanded and new products are created. (Photo: Mill Room)
1965
John Boos & Co. builds its first Stainless-Steel Table. First ground combat action reported during the Vietnam War.
1966
The “Director of Engineering" of the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) holds a three-day meeting with five USA cutting board and butcher block top manufacturers in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the campus the University of Michigan. The results will eventually regulate all production & testing requirements for NSF® approved wood work surfaces to be used in NSF® inspected establishments. The five representatives from the companies provide input and help write the standards and testing requirements for NSF® to approve and issue a standard for the acceptance of wood work surfaces that come into contact with food in the USA. Only two of the companies represented in the photo still exist, and John Boos & Co. is one of them and the oldest.
1970
John Boos & Co. reaches 100 employees. Customers continue to successfully grow in the foodservice industry as well as in the residential home market.
1980
John Boos & Co. metal plant burns down and is promptly rebuilt to meet the demands of stainless-steel manufacturing.
1987
John Boos & Co. celebrates its 100th anniversary. A major milestone in the company's history.
1990
Stainless-steel becomes popular in the kitchen with Boos Block Cucina Americana roll out consisting of integrated maple and stainless-steel kitchen carts and worktables for the residential industry.
2000
Foodservice equipment successfully continues to expand into stadium kitchens: Metlife Stadium (New York Giants and Jets), Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis Colts), University of Phoenix Stadium (Arizona Cardinals), Cowboys Stadium (Dallas Cowboys).
2012
John Boos & Co. celebrates serving their customers for 125 years and expands its markets for commercial and residential customers, and seizes new opportunities. Both wood and metal facilities reach milestones with production output. The company expanded with a move to a new corporate office of nearly 87,000 square feet combined with a new metal plant facility in Effingham, IL.
2017
A new John Boos wood plant is built on a 27-acre campus that already includes John Boos’ stainless-steel facility and the corporate headquarters. The wood plant features new state-of-the-art equipment, but the technique of making Boos Blocks® cutting boards relies on the same workmanship and proprietary process developed 135 years ago.
2019
New research out of the University of Illinois adds further credibility to the hygienic benefits of using Boos Blocks® cutting boards. The new study conducted by Mechanical Science and Engineering Professor Nenad Miljkovic and his research laboratory at the University of Illinois, found that the NSF-listed Northern Hard Rock Maple cutting boards by John Boos & Co. kill bacteria. Data gathered by the team concluded that application of the NSF-listed Boos Blocks® Mystery Oil and Board Cream on the boards created an “antimicrobial, hydrophobic surface that decreased their surface bacteria to a ‘clean level’ in just three hours” without using recommended board cleaning procedures. You can find more studies here.
2020
John Boos & Co. adapts and changes throughout 2020 as the shifts of the year present challenges during Covid-19. A new emphasis is placed on cooking family meals at home. Boos Blocks® cutting boards fill the demand for durable and sustainable hardwood prep surfaces. John Boos & Co. supplies stainless-steel worktables to a temporary pop-up hospital and manufactures hygiene products such as mobile hand wash stations, hygiene stations, sanitizer stands, and worktables to assist in the demand of the pandemic.
2022 / Today
The company is celebrating its 135th anniversary, making it the oldest company of its kind in the US. Much has changed since 1887, yet our tradition, commitment to excellence and the highest quality products remain at the core. As a major supplier of gourmet products and foodservice equipment, we are constantly working to satisfy and surpass the expectations of our customers.