Local case: History of Evans Food Distributors - Research Paper Example

The commercial activities of Evans Food Distributors are mainly in the mid-Atlantic, east, and north, central and southern parts of the United States. Much of revenues in the company come from the operations of its restaurants while some proportion of the revenue comes from the services of food distribution to their customers. The current estimates indicate that the company employs a staff of about five to nine, and it has annual revenue that amounts to five to ten million US dollars. History of Evans Food Distributors Available records indicate that the establishment of Evans Food Distributors came was in 1974 and the company became incorporated in Pennsylvania (Manta, 2012).

Although incorporated in 1974, Evans food distributors and Evans food stores started in 1946, when the owner, Bob Evans, started a 24-hour restaurant known as Bob Evans Steak House. The restaurant became a success owing to the positive feedback from the customers, most of who used to be truck drivers. This prompted Evans to concentrate on the distribution of sausages to his customers. He used to deliver the sausages himself to his customers and could operate the business during the cold months since it was easy to store the sausages during such times.

After some time, distribution expanded to grocery stores; the popularity of the sausages distributed grew immensely, prompting Evans to invite store managers of groceries to come and witness the process of making the sausages (Funding Universe, 2004). In 1953, the growing demand for the Sausages manufactured by Evans Distributors invited a number of partners, who included family members and friends. The distribution of the company’s products expanded to most parts of the United States as the company started carrying out the business in large scale.

By 1957, the company had purchased fourteen trucks, which delivered fresh sausages from the company to outlets in southern and central Ohio. In 1963, the company spread rapidly in most parts of the state of Ohio. From Ohio, the company moved to Michigan in 1964; in the same year, the company established sausage in Detroit and opened a third plant in Hillsdale for the manufacture of sausages. The expansion of the company also spread to the western parts to Indiana in 1966 and to Illinois in 1968.

Sausage Distribution also expanded to West Virginia in 1969, Pennsylvania in 1971, and New Jersey in 1973 (Funding Universe, 2004). Daniel Evans, the cousin of Bob Evans, became the CEO of the company in 1971 while Bob Evans continued to serve as the company’s president. Evans Food Distributors was incorporated in Reading in 1974. The company became famous among its customers owing to its breakfasts, which used to be available at any hour in restaurants. The company sought to win the trust and loyalty of customers by introducing, catfish, chicken, as well as charbroiled ribs.

In addition, the advertising of the company’s products targeted families that had children and adults. By 1980, the company had introduced a wide variety of foods, which included spaghetti and meat source (Funding Universe, 2004). Over the years, the company came up with a chain of restaurants, which were financed by earnings of the company without the involvement of independent operators or franchising. Evans Food Distributors expanded to places such as Illinois in 1980, Tennessee in 1974, to Florida