Farmer Brothers is the story of one man’s passion for coffee, and how it grew from a cup, to a company, to a nationwide brand, and more. It all started nearly a century ago with Roy E. Farmer and his desire to deliver excellent roasted coffee to every door.
1912
Being a coffee route salesman in San Francisco suited Roy Farmer because good coffee was something he loved, and selling it was something he loved more. Somewhere along his route he formed his own dream—to start a coffee company. Coming to Los Angeles in 1912 Roy started where he had left off in San Francisco, selling coffee door-to-door. His first sale was to his neighbor who was delighted with the idea that coffee could be delivered to her doorstep. In the beginning Roy purchased whole roasted coffee from local roasters and sold it on his own. But over time he learned that he could increase profits, offer consistent quality, and deliver exceptional flavor if he roasted his own. A customer mentioned that she and her husband wanted to serve his coffee in their restaurant—would he be interested? Before the week was out, Roy had secured the business. To meet the growing demand for his coffee, he brought in his brother Frank as a partner, expanded his building and added a new Burns Jubilee Roaster.
1920s
By 1923, Roy and Frank had reached significant milestones. Between them they had developed 25 successful restaurant accounts and also managed a home delivery service. They invented, perfected and received a patent for a large four-gallon urn which prepared coffee automatically. This would be the forerunner of many more inventions. In 1923, Roy and Frank began selling spices and extracts, recognizing and capitalizing on the opportunity to cross sell to like markets. Quarters were cramped where they were, so in January 1926 Farmer Brothers moved into a newly constructed building on Main Street in Los Angeles. With new customers and increased sales, they opened the first Farmer Brothers branch in San Diego in 1928. Next, in 1929, came branches in San Francisco and Oakland.
1930s
The Great Depression hit the country hard. But despite the lean business climate, Farmer Brothers held its own and business grew. Fortified with successful branch operations in California, Roy and Frank decided to expand into Arizona restaurant markets. Business prospered. Branches in Phoenix and Tucson were thriving. By 1932, coffee sales had grown to 85,000 pounds. In 1933, the brothers decided to supplement the coffee business through the manufacture of brewing equipment. In the following years they invented and built brewing equipment under the name Western Urn Manufacturing Co. that set the standard in the industry.
In 1934, Frank passed away and Roy continued growing the business.
During the 1930s, while many other businesses were trying just to survive, Farmer Brothers invested in new packaging equipment, new roasters, automatic scales and green coffee tanks.
Western Urn Manufacturing Co. expanded and nine new Farmer Brothers branches opened in California. Then came branches in Oregon, Nevada, and New Mexico. By 1940, coffee production was up to 3,600,000 pounds of coffee a year.
1940s
Like all businesses, Farmer Brothers had to adjust to the impact of World War II.
Wartime shipping problems and usage quotas limited supplies of green coffee, and roasted coffee prices were frozen. There was no tin for coffee cans so the company switched to a Plio-Film bag which actually boosted sales. There were truck, tire, and fuel shortages making it difficult to deliver the product.
The company threw itself into the war effort. Western Urn manufactured Wing Spar assemblies for the B-25, landing gears for the P-51 fighter plane and ejection seats for fighter planes. Since coffee was scarce, Farmer Brothers brought a new, popular blend to market—chickpeas blended with roast beans. Despite the wartime challenges, the business continued to grow. By 1941, Farmer Brothers had over 12,000 accounts and was roasting 4,432,450 pounds a year.
In 1947, 20 acres of land were purchased in Torrance, California for a modern plant.
1950s
On July 4, 1951, Roy passed away. He left a vital legacy—that coffee was worth being passionate about, that excellence should lead the way, and that growth and progress brought life and vitality to business.
His son, Roy F., took the helm immediately as President and Chairman of the Board. For years he had apprenticed in numerous positions throughout the company. He knew the company well and would become a formidable leader for the next five decades as he continued to increase production and expand distribution.
By 1952, Farmer Brothers had become a publicly traded company. The new Torrance, California manufacturing facility was in full swing. By 1956, the new spice and culinary products plant had doubled its production. A new repair and maintenance facility was completed for long haul trucks and local delivery vehicles. Some of the most notable growth in the ‘50s came from acquisitions. Companies like Pickens-Bunting, Barabe Brothers, Mello-Cup and Woods Coffee Company joined the team, followed by the Ben-Hur Coffee Company, two Maxwell House distributors and Almacenadora, SA, a Panamanian company specializing in the purchase and sale of green coffee.
1960s and 1970s
Strategic plans for company expansion had paid off. Growth brought sales and profits to new levels.
In 1961, administration facilities were moved from downtown Main Street to the Torrance plant, streamlining operations, communication and quality control. Roy F. had fulfilled one of his father’s dreams— to have one main facility to support and localize operations.
Storage facilities and the plant were expanded to keep up with the rapidly increasing customer demand for coffees, teas, spices and culinary products. The year 1970 was the largest sales year in company history. New branches were opening across the U.S., plant facilities continued to expand, and more coffee companies were acquired, including O'Connor Coffee in St. Louis.
In 1972, Western Urn Manufacturing Co. changed its name to Brewmatic, to reflect its function. New efficiencies were introduced at the Torrance plant. In 1975, a new high volume packaging machine was installed, and existing facilities in Torrance were expanded again and again.
1980s and 1990s
Under Roy F.’s leadership these were decades of balanced growth.
During the ‘80s, 22 new branches were opened, bringing the total number of branches to 108, but the Company’s commitment to quality remained unchanged.
The business had come a long way from Roy E.’s dream as a route salesman in San Francisco. In 1987, Farmer Brothers proudly celebrated 75 years of consistently good coffee and 75 years of passion for perfect solutions and customer satisfaction.
The ‘80s also saw the installation of a new computer system, which linked all branches together. During that same time 10 green coffee silos were built providing one million pounds of storage capacity. The expansion of our route network continued in the ‘90s to better serve our expanding market. Farmer Brothers understood that being local is part of what customers appreciate and need—supply close by and plenty of it. But they also knew that quality and consistency in product and delivery was important too, so Farmer Brothers worked diligently to streamline distribution efficiencies.
These were vibrant decades of solid growth in sales, and of course, customer satisfaction. The Farmer Brothers brand continued to be a recognized industry leader and applauded for its consistent excellence across its product lines.
2000
The new decade brought Farmer Brothers closer to its goal to be the preeminent roaster/distributor of the highest quality coffee, tea and culinary products in every key market in the United States.
In 2004, having served for 53 year as Farmer Brothers’ leader, Roy F. Farmer passed away. His son, Roy E., who had worked by his father’s side for over 25 years, followed in the family tradition and took the helm until he died in 2005. In 2005, Guenter Berger, a long time Farmer Brothers executive, stepped in as CEO and guided the company until his retirement in December, 2007.
In 2007, Rocky Laverty was named CEO and has led the next growth phase for the company. Under his leadership two important acquisitions were made that brought the national brand goal to reality.
In 2007, Coffee Bean International (CBI), a leading specialty coffee roaster headquartered in Portland, Oregon was purchased. In 2008, major investments were made to expand and enhance CBI’s artisan style of roasting coffee, with small batches that were air cooled and designed to get the best out of each coffee bean. Today CBI is a nationally known provider of specialty coffees to discriminating neighborhood coffeehouses across the country and a leader in providing quality private label programs to national and regional retailers.
In 2009, Farmer Brothers acquired certain assets of the direct store delivery (DSD) coffee business from Sara Lee Corporation. This complementary product line, with recognized brands and dedicated employees who joined the Farmer Brothers team, made the dream a reality—to deliver the finest roast coffee to every door, nationwide.
Today, Farmer Brothers is serving customers and business sectors nationwide. With nearly 3 million square miles of direct store delivery and multi-channel distribution, Farmer Brothers can deliver its quality products to any customer, anywhere in the country.
This was one of the most eventful decades in company history. Farmer Brothers stood strong on the foundation of excellence and quality—it was a nationally recognized brand that customers relied upon. Our mission remains the same: to sell great coffee, tea and culinary products, and provide superior service one customer at a time—to be “Consistently Good.”
2010
As the new decade unfolds, Farmer Brothers leads the way with visionary ideas, innovative technologies, streamlined services, and offers extraordinary products for exceptional customers.
