Nov. 5—LOUISA — Wayne Brown has been involved in the family business for most of his life.

"I started working for the business when I was 8, candling eggs after school for quality and cracks to pack in cases of 30 dozen, double the size we sell now," Brown, president of Brown Foodservice in Louisa, said. "At 16, I started working several operations jobs, picking orders in the warehouse freezer and delivering to customers off a truck."

Brown continued to work his way up the ranks of the family business, which marks 80 years of operation this year.

The business started in 1942, when George and Mary Jane Brown's Sandy Valley Produce sold poultry, eggs, ham, sorghum and other produce to the mining company communities in the Big Sandy coal fields. Originally known as Sandy Valley Produce, the company was supplied by a family farm in Lawrence County.

The couple expanded the company by investing in property in Prestonsburg and bringing their three sons — Lloyd, George Cecil and John — into the business. Brown was the first food distribution company in the area to offer frozen food in eastern Kentucky.

In 1984, Brown moved to Louisa. Family members continued to be involved in what is now a fourth-generation business serving six states besides Kentucky: West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Brown provides foods to restaurants, convenience stores and food trucks, but April Bias, marketing manager for the company, said anyone can purchase from the headquarters in Louisa.

"You call us and order what you want," Bias said. "We offer curbside pickup. Just park and call us and we'll bring it out to you. We developed it with COVID, but we found it streamlined the process and made it easier for customers, so we kept it."

Popular items include anything related to pizza, Bias said, but as the holidays approach, the company is preparing to serve to holiday items, such as hams, turkeys, prime ribs and traditional sides.

She said taste tests occur frequently in the office, as the staff is adamant the food be tasty and high quality.

"Sometimes we have manufacturers come and cook, and we have an annual food show, where customers are invited to come and try out a lot of products and get new ideas about how to use the products," Bias said.

The family business offers two things corporations can't: service and customization, said Daniel Neeley, family member and chief experience officer.

"Our competitors vary in size from small local distributors to national and international food distributors. To separate Brown Foodservice from all of them, we focus on service: doing things and going places other companies won't, and owning and fixing our mistakes when they happen," Neeley said. "Service also means personalizing the way we do business with each customer to best fits their needs. Through four generations we have worked hand-in-hand with generations of customers to grow our businesses together."

That personal touch Brown offers has been the key to 80 years of success.

"Being a family- owned and operated business creates a small, tight-knit management team, allowing us to quickly adapt to changes in the industry," Neeley said.

Bias said the long life of the company speaks to the importance of family business.

"It pays a tribute to the people who have run the business for so long," she said. "It's beyond business. It's a sense of pride and the importance of extending legacy."