Farmer Brothers

In 1912, Roy E. Farmer started a small business roasting coffee beans and selling them door-to-door in Los Angeles, California. Following a decade of success, the company was incorporated in 1923 and expanded into the coffee equipment business through the acquisition of Western Urn Manufacturing. As the company grew, it opened branch locations throughout California and quickly established a notable presence in San Francisco. Beginning in the 1930s, Farmer Brothers diversified its product offerings to include a wider range of foodservice items in addition to coffee and coffee equipment. By 1939, the company was roasting and selling more than 3 million pounds of coffee annually.

In 1942, the Farmer Brothers plant retooled to support the war effort, with female machinists producing highly technical parts and equipment to supply the military. In 1949, the company opened a 20-acre, state-of-the-art headquarters and production facility in Torrance, California, increasing its sales to more than 14 million pounds of coffee a year.

When Roy E. Farmer died unexpectedly in 1951 at the age of 59, his son, Roy F. Farmer assumed control of the company. Estate taxes on his father's estate forced the younger Farmer to sell a portion of the company's stock to the public in the months that followed. Its shares trade on the NASDAQ market under the symbol FARM. As Roy F. settled in, the company kept costs down and built an efficient distribution network, sustaining high profit margins. The company expanded its portfolio to include herbs, spices and seasonings in 1963 and launched its Office Coffee Division in 1972, before expanding nationwide in 1988.

In the following years of Roy F. Farmer's tenure as chairman, chief executive officer and president, the company reached a peak of $240 million in sales in 1998. By 1998, however, he served only as chairman and CEO, with his son Roy E. Farmer holding the office of president and chief operating officer. At that point, the company had nearly 100 branches in 29 states in the western United States. At the same time, however, the company became mired in shareholder unrest. Shareholders demanded greater transparency into the company's operations and strategy, wanted executives to open up dialogue with Wall Street analysts, and sought to add independent directors to the board. Despite this, the company remained fairly private and closed to the public.

At the time of Roy F. Farmer's death in 2004, following a more than 50-year stint heading the company, his son Roy E. Farmer had recently succeeded him as president and chief executive officer and become chairman of the board.

Roy E. Farmer died unexpectedly in January 2005 at the age of 52, after which Guenter Berger was appointed interim chief executive officer. Roger M. Laverty III later became chief executive officer and president. During his tenure, Farmer Brothers acquired Coffee Bean International and its Panache brand in Portland, Oregon, in 2007 and the direct store delivery coffee business of Sara Lee in 2009. The latter acquisition was reported to be worth $45 million. Laverty served until April 2011, when Jeffrey Wahba (treasurer and chief financial officer) and Patrick Criteser (president and chief executive officer of Coffee Bean International) were appointed interim co-chief executive officers by the board.

Farmer Brothers established its first Direct Trade partnership in 2010 and opened its Public Domain Coffee House in Portland, Oregon. The company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2012 and appointed Michael Keown as its new chief executive officer and president in March of that year. Keown came to the company from WhiteWave Foods, a subsidiary of Dean Foods Company. Then on April 15, 2013, Farmer Bros. appointed Mark Nelson as its new CFO.

On April 28, 2015, Farmer Brothers announced the move of its headquarters from Torrance, California to Northlake, Texas and expanded its Project D.I.R.E.C.T. initiative in Nicaragua.