History

Biosource Fuels was initiated in 2000 with a vision of an environmentally and economically sensible alternative fuel industry. Kenosha Beef International, (KBI) and particularly its founder, Charles Vignieri and Mike Marquardt, a Vice President of Kenosha Beef, were deeply interested in biodiesel and recognized that the byproducts of KBI's meat industry was a feedstock that could be synthesized into biodiesel. Therefore there existed the potential to lower the cost of biodiesel production to be competitive with hydrocarbon fuel.

With this vision, KBI embarked on a research and development project to develop a biodiesel process technology that was both unique and cost effective. The foundation for the process development work was to develop a biodiesel technology that would solve many of the existing bottlenecks in contemporary biodiesel production technologies. The specific issues Biosource Fuels sought to address were; (1) biodiesel quality concerns, (2) the use of multiple low-cost agriculture and animal based feedstock, and (3) the recovery of high-value glycerin as a co-product to the fuel production process.

It was this pioneering spirit of Charlie Vignieri and Mike Marquardt that drove the development of the Biosource Fuels technology, even when crude oil was valued at less than $20 per barrel and without the current economic incentives.

In January of 2003, Biosource succeeded in completing the design and construction of a fully continuous flow biodiesel pilot refinery that accomplished their research objectives. (Pictured) In 2005, Biosource Fuels began construction of a commercial scale production facility in Clinton County, Iowa (10 million gallons per year).

Nova Biosource Fuels, Inc. was founded in 2006 and is an energy company that synthesizes and distributes renewable fuel products. Biosource America, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of NOVA, was founded through the acquisition of the assets of Biosource Fuels, LLC