Farmer Bros. Co., a Delaware corporation, is a national coffee roaster, wholesaler
and distributor of coffee, tea and culinary products. We serve a wide variety
of customers, from small independent restaurants and foodservice operators to
large institutional buyers like restaurant and convenience store chains, hotels,
casinos, hospitals, and gourmet coffee houses, as well as grocery chains with
private brand and consumer-branded coffee products. With a robust product line,
including organic, Direct Trade, Direct Trade Verified Sustainable coffees or
DTVS and other sustainably-produced coffees, iced and hot teas, cappuccino,
spices, and baking/biscuit mixes, among others, we offer a comprehensive approach
to our customers by providing not only a breadth of high-quality products, but
also value-added services such as market insight, beverage planning, and equipment
placement and service. We were founded in 1912, incorporated in California in
1923, and reincorporated in Delaware in 2004. We operate in one business segment.
We develop great tasting products delivered with concierge service with the
goal of a positive impact on our customers and the planet. Through our sustainability,
stewardship, environmental efforts, and leadership we are not only committed
to serving the finest products available, considering the cost needs of the
customer, but also insist on their sustainable cultivation, manufacture and
distribution whenever possible.
In order to achieve our mission, we have had to grow existing capabilities and
develop new ones over the years. More recently, we have undertaken initiatives
such as, but not limited to, the following:
develop new products in response to demographic and other trends to better compete
in areas such as premium coffee and tea;
rethink aspects of our Company culture to improve productivity and employee
engagement and to attract talent;
embrace sustainability across our operations, in the quality of our products,
as well as, how we treat our coffee growers; and
ensure our systems and processes provide the highest quality products at a competitive
cost, protection from cyber-risk, and a safe environment for our employees and
partners.
We differentiate ourselves in the marketplace through our product offerings
and through our customer service model, which includes:
a wide variety of coffee product offerings and packaging options across numerous
brands and quality tiers;
beverage equipment placement and service;
hassle-free inventory and product procurement management;
DSD service;
merchandising support; and
product and menu insights.
Our services are conducted primarily in person through Route Sales Representatives,
or RSRs, who develop personal relationships with chefs, restaurant owners and
food buyers at their delivery locations. We also provide comprehensive coffee
programs to our national account customers, including private brand development,
green coffee procurement, hedging, category management, sustainable sourcing
and supply chain management.
We distribute our owned brands primarily through our DSD network, while continuing
to support and grow our private label and other national account business. Although
currently a small portion of our distribution, we also distribute directly to
consumers through our website and sell certain products such as Un Momento®,
Collaborative Coffee™, Cains™ and McGarvey® at retail.
We have made the following investments in an effort to ensure we are well-positioned
within the industry to take advantage of category trends, industry insights,
and general coffee and tea knowledge to grow our business:
Coffee Industry Leadership. Through our dedication to the craft of sourcing,
blending and roasting coffee, and our participation and/or leadership positions
with the SCAA, National Coffee Association, Coalition for Coffee Communities,
International Womens Coffee Alliance, International Foodservice Manufacturers
Association, Pacific Coast Coffee Association, Roasters Guild and World Coffee
Research, we work to help shape the future of the coffee industry. We believe
that due to our commitment to the industry, large retail and foodservice operators
are drawn to working with us. We were among the first coffee roasters in the
nation to receive SCAA certification of a state-of-the-art coffee lab and operate
Public Domain®, a specialty coffeehouse in Portland, Oregon. Upon completion,
we plan to submit our product development lab at the New Facility for SCAA certification.
Market Insight and Consumer Research. We have developed a market insight capability
internally that reinforces our business-to-business positioning as a thought
leader in the coffee industry. We provide trend insights that help our customers
create winning products and integrated marketing strategies for their own coffee
brands.