After a few hiccups, John Kuhni Sons’ new $6.5 million rendering plant is up and running 50 miles from where it began.
In 1937, John Kuhni purchased 10 acres in the slough on the south end of Provo, UT, and built his business with the help of his sons. Over time, the rendering company successfully grew, but so did the city. By the mid-1990s, John Kuhni Sons’ neighbors included a multi-million dollar mall, a well-known software developer, and a sprawling golf course. Despite spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on odor control equipment to appease complaints from neighbors and conform to a newly adopted rendering ordinance, the renderer, with financial help from the state ($1.8 million), the city of Provo ($2.3 million), and the East Bay Association ($400,000), decided in 2002 that it was time to move.
After nearly two years of construction, John Kuhni Sons is operating at full capacity in a new 44,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility, double the size of the old plant, which utilizes a Dupps continuous system and boasts an enclosed raw material area. Situated on 50 acres in Mills Junction, UT, and jointly owning an adjacent 15 acres, the company should be able to operate peacefully for years to come, or so they thought. Because the city of Provo demanded that the renderer move out of their old plant by mid-December or face a $10,000 per week charge, John Kuhni Sons had to move into the new facility just prior to its completion, leading to a few equipment malfunctions and complaints during initial start-up. But everything appears to be running at full steam now, and Kevin Kuhni, the company’s president, couldn’t be more pleased.
“I love it, it’s a great location,” he remarked. Cows graze nearby, the nearest house is one-and-a-half miles away, and the closest community sits nine miles to the North. Kuhni has also been happy with the people in the area, especially the county government.
“The [Juab] county has been wonderful to work with,” he said. “There are great, great people here.” Local citizens have also benefited from the relocation of John Kuhni Sons. Most of their new hires to replace workers who weren’t eager to make the 50-mile commute have come from the local community, while some employees relocated to the nearby town so they could continue to work for the renderer without enduring the long drive.
Processing mostly beef and restaurant grease, the plant includes a new modern hide processing area and is more efficient than the previous facility. The only equipment not brand new is the odor control equipment that was brought down from the Provo plant; however, this equipment had been newly installed just a few years ago. Newer processing equipment from the old facility, such as batch cookers and presses, will be sold.
Another advantage of the new plant is the location on the Union Pacific railroad line. John Kuhni Sons will now have their own spur for rail service instead of having to lease one. However, other transportation costs have increased due to the new location. Nonetheless, after years of battling city government and encroaching businesses, a few increased costs have been worth the move.
“We’re just happy to be here,” said an exhilarated Kuhni.
Newsline - April 2005 Render