Overview History FIRA

The Favorite Foods story began 22 years ago. Brothers Jeff and Chris Barstow, the founders of Favorite Foods, started the company with a van and a plan to distribute dry goods to area restaurants. They had no direct distribution experience, and had never owned their own company, but they were confident they could service the restaurants of the NH and ME Seacoast. At the time, Favorite Foods' home was a leased 5,000 square foot unit in a multi-tenant building on West Road in Portsmouth, NH. Five years later, Favorite Foods was moved to a leased 15,000 square foot facility just off the Spaulding Turnpike in Newington, NH. Then, in 1999, Favorite Foods purchased and moved into a 24,000 square foot building in Somersworth, NH, where it is still located today. In the summer of 2008, a 26,000 square foot expansion was completed, giving the company a state-of-the-art 50,000 square foot facility.  Additionally, Favorite Foods owns another 4 acres of land across the street for any future expansion needs. The success of Favorite Foods is about much, much more than it's rapidly expanding product line and growing warehouse, however. From the very beginning, Jeff and Chris understood that the only way they would distinguish themselves from the more established distributors was to offer superior service. This sentiment is evident when speaking with any of the loyal Favorite Foods customers. A philosophy and commitment to acknowledge and meet each restaurant's individual needs is demonstrated each and every day by all members of the Favorite Foods team. Also representative of this philosophy is FIRA, the Favorite Independent Restaurant Association, which was begun by Favorite Foods in 2002. Today, Favorite Foods has grown into a $30 million/year broadline foodservice distributor with 50 employees running 12 trucks from its 50,000 square foot distribution center. Geographic coverage includes the NH and ME Seacoast; Concord, Nashua, and Manchester; and the NH Lakes Region. While Jeff has since moved on to other endeavors, Chris continues to serve as President and CEO, ensuring that the company keeps the same philosophy and commitment to customer service.  It's easy to see that Favorite Foods has come a long way since 1987, and in the process the company has earned an enviable reputation for its customer driven focus and progressive approach to doing business.