John Boos & Co.
Established 1887Founded in 1887 in Effingham, Illinois by Conrad Boos, John Boos & Co. is one of the oldest manufacturers of premium quality foodservice equipment and butcher blocks in the US. Having harvested sycamore from local wooded areas, Conrad brought it to his blacksmith shop and placed it on three legs. The purpose: to create a block to absorb the shock of this smith’s hammer against the anvil. It was the local butcher, who having seen and admired Conrad’s block, became impassioned about owning a block for his meat market. The original Boos Block® was born.
As a single product manufacturer in the early years, John Boos & Co. strived to make the best die blocks in the world. One of the early company mottos was ‘Wherever steel meets wood, Boos is Best!’ True to the motto, John Boos & Co. sent product for display at the World’s Fair in Paris, 1900. The company emerged from the war era with a new manufacturing philosophy, service culture, and expanded product lines. Boos butcher block tops grew out of the old fashioned Boos butcher block to meet the growing requirements of the foodservice industry and the residential markets. Today, John Boos & Co.’s cutting boards are featured in most television shows on cookery and are the absolute benchmark in this product category.
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