CRS OneSource and Farm Boy Food Service have announced their merger, and officials said the move will create “the largest, independent, locally owned” food distributor in the tri-state area.
Both companies have remained family owned for more than 70 years. The combined operations will employ 250 people and serve over 2,500 customers across Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky, according to a release from CRS.
Officials said there will be no layoffs following the merger and operations will continue in both the Owensboro and Evansville facilities.
Alan Clark, current president of CRS OneSource, will assume the president role for the combined organizations. Mark Bonenberger, currently president of Farm Boy Food Service, will transition into the role of Special Projects Manager.
“Our number one priority is remaining valuable to our customer base,” Clark said. “We have achieved four major consolidations in the past 20 years. Each was designed to make us more efficient and drive costs out of the system to better support our customer’s needs. We will integrate the time-tested Farm Boy Brands while also taking on the complete line of Italian and pizza products customers know and love.”
CRS OneSource was founded in 1948 by Marvin Clark, Sr. in Owensboro. The company entered the Indiana and Illinois markets in 1967 with the acquisition of Diamond Coffee Co. in Evansville. When a new distribution facility was built in 2002, Diamond Foods was relocated to Owensboro to combine resources. The company is now owned by third-generation grandsons, Alan and Derek Clark.
Farm Boy Food Service was founded in 1952 by John Bonenberger. What began as a meat processing facility has grown to become a broadline food distributor. Additionally, Farm Boy added bottling operations at their facility when they launched Big B Barbeque sauce. The acquisition of McCuiston Distributing Co. solidified Farm Boys reputation as the tri-states leading pizza and Italian specialty distributors.
