From humble roots more than 110 years ago in south Mississippi, Merchants Foodservice has grown into the 12th-largest foodservice distributor in the United States with operations in 12 states. More than 6,000 customers trust Merchants Foodservice and its hardworking team of 800 individuals to meet their needs.
CORPORATE LEADERSHIP
Andy Mercier, President and Chief Executive Officer
Tim Hanberry, Vice President of Marketing
Tom West, Vice President of Purchasing
Dale Flowers, Vice President of National Sales
THE MERCHANTS PLEDGE
I will give my customers the highest level of personal attention.
I will provide quality products and services to make my customers’ lives easier.
I will always do what I say I will do, whatever it takes.
I will find a way to say “yes.”
TIMELINE
February 11, 1904
Seven original stockholders in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, open the Fain Grocery Company to service the retail and wholesale grocery trade. There were 10 employees with two horse-drawn vehicles.
1907
The company name changes to The Merchants Grocery Company. Construction begins on a two-story brick warehouse, which costs $29,950.
1915
The company’s first cornmeal mill is constructed.
1917
The company adds a grain elevator and feed mill.
1920
A cold storage plant is added to handle fresh fruit and vegetables.
1923
The company celebrates a milestone: $1 million in sales.
1924
The company opens a modern feed manufacturing plant in Laurel, Mississippi.
1927
The company is renamed The Merchants Company.
1931
The company opens a meat-packing house in Jackson, Mississippi, to sell fresh and frozen pork and beef. The first year’s sales are $295,000.
1950
Grain operations are moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi, for better access to Mississippi River barges.
1959
The company builds and opens Forrest Farms in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, an integrated poultry plant. The plant is later sold to Marshall Durbin.
1961
The Pine Burr Packing Company, a state-of-the-art USDA-inspected plant, opens in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
1980
The Pine Burr Packing Company closes.
1982
The Merchants Company converts to a new business model as a food distribution company and restaurant supplier. The grain elevators are sold and seven distribution centers are consolidated into two expanded facilities.
1987
The company ends retail operations and converts to total foodservice sales.
1988
The Merchants Company becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tatum Development Company.
1989
The company purchases a facility in Montgomery, Alabama.
1999
The company achieves $100 million in annual sales.
1999-2000
A distribution center is constructed in Clanton, Alabama, the geographic center of the state.
2003
A new distribution center in Jackson, Mississippi, is opened. The previous Jackson Distribution Center becomes the home of Sunrise Fresh Produce, the company’s produce arm.
2008
The company purchases a distribution center in Newberry, South Carolina, and expands operations into the Carolinas.
2010
The company purchases a distribution center in Tifton, Georgia. The Tifton Division services the company’s national account operations.
2011
The company expands the Jackson distribution center, adding 29,000-square-feet of freezer space and 15,000-square-feet of cooler space.
2013
The company joins the Independent Marketing Alliance, a procurement, marketing and product development arm for leading independent foodservice distributors.
2013
The company is awarded the Excellence in Distribution Award by the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association.
2016
The Clanton distribution center is expanded for the fourth time. The center now comprises 200,000 square feet of dry, refrigerated and frozen warehouse space with 8 million cubic feet of storage space.
2016
The company acquires the E.G. Forrest Company, a food distributor headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and adds 20 sales representatives to the sales force based out of Newberry, South Carolina.
2017
The corporate office building in Hattiesburg, Mississippi sustained major damage during the January 21 EF3 tornado, including flooding and roof damage. Employees were temporarily relocated to Purvis, Mississippi.