Our Story
A Taco Restaurant – That’s where the idea to apply steam to hay came from. Staheli West, Inc. was founded by Dave Staheli while managing Brent Hunter Farms in Cedar City, Utah...
The hay had been sitting in the field for weeks. He was faced with the decision to bale dry hay that would shatter the leaves and lower the value of the hay or continue to wait and risk further loss of quality. After seeking inspiration from above, he recalled seeing a tortilla steamer at a taco restaurant and the idea to apply steam to hay was born. He grabbed a box of dry hay from the field and took it into the kitchen, where he used his wife’s pressure cooker to produce steam. Dave was amazed at how the steam softened the hay without making it too wet.
staheli west story
From Desperation to Inspiration – The Idea to Apply Steam to Hay is Born
From Desperation to Inspiration – The Idea to Apply Steam to Hay is Born
The summer of 1994 was extremely dry, and hundreds of acres of hay had been sitting on the ground for days. This was a problem that Dave Staheli faced time and time again while managing Brent Hunter Farms in Cedar City, Utah. Out of desperation, Dave prayed for a solution to the problem, and that is when he recalled seeing the workers at a local taco restaurant steam tortilla shells, and the idea to apply steam to hay was born.staheli west story
From Inspiration to Creation - Baling Hay with Steam for the First Time
From Inspiration to Creation - Baling Hay with Steam for the First Time
Dave had received the idea to apply steam to hay and had tested the concept with his wife’s pressure cooker but struggled to know what to do next. After some encouragement from his Brother Mike at a family Christmas party, Dave started researching how to make steam. Dave’s interest turned to boilers, but he could not find a boiler company willing to design a boiler for the hay field. While praying once again for direction he received a phone call and was able to find a company that was willing to work with him.
There were many ups and downs along the way for Dave, but through persistent trial and error and inspiration, Dave developed a machine that was used for years on Brent Hunter Farms.
staheli west story
From Creation to Automation – Automating the Hay Steaming Process
From Creation to Automation – Automating the Hay Steaming Process
Steaming hay with the early DewPoint steamer prototypes was proving to be extremely advantageous in the hay making process. He even gained the attention of 3 of the largest Ag equipment manufacturers in the world. Dave worked on the steamer project for 8 years with one of these companies before eventually receiving the rights back.
With the originally concept in mind, Dave completely redesigned the DewPoint machine and brought his “boiler on wheels” concept to a whole new level of automation, making the steamer easy to run and more user friendly.
After redesigning the steamer in 2006, Dave knew he needed to figure out a way to manufacturer the machines and take them to the world. After making a website and uploading a few videos to YouTube, Dave started gaining the attention of his first customers.
staheli west story
From Automation to Transformation – Transforming the Business and Industry
From Automation to Transformation – Transforming the Business and Industry
The newly designed DewPoint 6110 was catching the eye of some of Staheli West’s first customers and the first orders were placed. However, there was just one problem. Dave Staheli didn’t have enough money to build the first 5 machines. With complete trust in Dave and the DewPoint machine, each of the first customers paid half of the price of the steamer upfront so that Dave could get the materials coming to build the first ones in 2009.
The business started to grow, and word was spreading quickly about the DewPoint steamers. Staheli West purchased their first facility in 2011 and quickly expanded to the facility we are in today in 2013. Through marketing efforts like the “72-Hour Challenge”, Staheli West was expanding their reach not only in the U.S. but abroad in areas like Mexico, Australia, Canada, Argentina, and New Zealand.