The Bradberry family has been in the Dublin area for over 100 years. The origin story of Bradberry’s Best begins with Charlie Ben Bradberry who had a fleet of freight hauling trucks in the 1930s. His slogan was “Charlie Ben and his Movin’ Men.”
Charlie Ben’s freight business caught the attention of the owner of the Lightning C Ranch and show-runner of the World’s Championship Rodeo, Everett Colborn. Mr. Colborn partnered with Charlie Ben to transport hay, feed, equipment, and rodeo stock all over the United States for his rodeo performances.
Charlie Ben became Colborn’s Chute Boss in 1941 for the World’s Championship Rodeo. When Colborn retired in 1959 Charlie Ben continued as Chute Boss for different national rodeos until 1966.
Charlie Ben continued transporting freight and household goods in the 1940s. After World War II he moved hundreds of houses during the housing boom of the post-war era. Pictured above are sons Ronald and Harry Bradberry. Harry would take over for Charlie Ben in later years running the feed business and eventually create Bradberry’s Best.
In 1947, Colborn came home one day and told Charlie Ben “We need to open a feed store.” Charlie Ben got on the phone and placed an order from Quaker Oats Ful-O-Pep to become a feed dealer. Farmers Feed Store opened in downtown Dublin behind the present location of Dublin Bottling Works.
In 1951, Colborn sold his interest in Farmers Feed Store back to Charlie Ben. Farmers Feed Store moved from downtown Dublin to its current location today on South Patrick Street. Eventually, Farmers Feed Store would become Bradberry’s Best.
In 1971, Charlie Ben’s youngest son Harry Bradberry took over the leadership reins of Farmers Feed Store and began expanding operations. Harry rebrands the business and begins manufacturing of their own custom feeds.
Harry would further expand the business to include fertilizer and mineral supplements for the burgeoning dairy industry in Erath County and surrounding areas. Charlie Ben would continue to be an integral part of the business and assisting his son Harry up until his death in 1983.
During the 1980s Bradberry’s Best experienced volatility from the massive heatwave in Texas in 1980 to the savings and loan crisis and the downturn in the cattle market in the mid 1980s. All these headwinds encouraged Harry to begin diversifying the business to include more consumer retail goods and marketing to a wider audience of customers.
In 1981, Farmers Feed Store was renamed to Bradberry’s Best, Inc. to match the brand image that Harry wanted the business to have. This rebranding would allow the business to become more than a traditional “feed store” and provided service over sales.
Harry would use his natural talents as a marketer to drawn in people from all over the region to Bradberry’s Best. Pictured above are events for opening weekend of deer season in 1987 with prizes, gifts, and excitement for the customers.
Bradberry’s Best continues to experience growth and expansion.
With costs rising and competition in the manufacturing space of the feed industry, Harry shifts Bradberry’s Best from a feed manufacturer back to its roots of a feed dealer. Demolition of the old retail store and feed mill and construction of a new retail center and warehouse begins in 1998.
The face of Bradberry’s Best changes drastically with a brand new expanded retail center and feed warehouse.
Harry’s son Paul, the third generation of Bradberrys, continues the family business. Paul continues Bradberry’s Best’s growth to include the exploding the equine industry, consumer retail space, and serving a growing community in the region.
In 2009, Paul took over operations from Harry. Under Paul’s leadership he continues his family’s legacy by bringing the business into 21st century. He follows the mantra of “give the customer more than they expect to receive” using it in the practice of the business learning this from his father. This shapes the priorities of Bradberry’s Best into a “customer first” way of thinking with quality service being provided rather than trying to sell a product.
Harry would go on to be involved in many other business ventures including owning several radio stations and even being a DJ with his award-winning radio show “Chuckwagon Serenade.” Harry, like his father Charlie Ben, continued to be actively involved in the business every single day up until his death in 2018.
The 2010’s saw an exploding market and population boom not only across the country but also in North Texas. Demand from consumers was at an all-time high and this created a need for another retail location. Bradberry’s Best opens its second retail store in Stephenville, Texas in 2019.
Even after the 2020 pandemic, Bradberry’s Best continues to experience growth and expansion. Further demand creates the need for a third retail location. The Hamilton, Texas retail store opens in 2022.
The future of Bradberry’s Best continues to look bright as we serve the agricultural industry and our community. From the humble beginnings as a freight hauling business to a full-fledged retail feed store with three locations across Texas, Bradberry’s Best continues to strive to be “More than the best, it’s Bradberry’s Best!”