Page 85 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2026

Kegs in the Cold Cooler
Frank E. Bertucci
27 Year F.E.B. Employee Bobby Simmons (Left)
granddad’s beer business anymore,” Jeff Bertucci said.
Neither is the warehouse. Hessell has spearheaded a complete
technological transformation, replacing outdated systems with mobile technology, cloud-based reporting, automated conveyors, and robotics. The changes weren’t made to reduce the workforce. They were introduced to make employees’ jobs safer, more efficient and more predictable.
One warehouse automation project cut holiday shifts nearly in half, giving employees more predictable schedules and more time with their families. Robotics now handle many slower- moving products that once required repeated manual lifting, while automated systems have reduced forklift traffic inside the warehouse, creating a safer work environment.
“We invested in technology to invest in our people,” Hessell said. “Everything we’ve done has been about giving our employees a better quality of life.”
Those innovations have also earned industry recognition. F.E.B. Distributing recently received multiple supplier awards from Molson Coors recognizing excellence in sales, operations, and market execution, achievements the leadership team credits to employees working throughout South Mississippi every day.
Ask any of them what matters most, though, and the answer isn’t robotics or awards. It’s legacy.
Nearly every morning begins with coffee and conversation between generations, where business mixes with family, ideas are exchanged and another day’s lessons are passed from one generation to the next.
“It’s a privilege,” Jeff Bertucci said. “I get to work with my dad, my brother, my uncle, my cousin, and my family every day. We don’t take that for granted.”
Even with robots in the warehouse and technology changing the industry faster than ever, one family rule remains difficult to follow. Mama Bertucci insists that whenever the family gets together—no business talk. But they admit they break it all the time.
And after 92 years, F.E.B. Distributing is more than a family beer business. It’s heritage, responsibility, and identity—woven throughout eras, shaped by the people who built it, strengthened by those who carry it forward, and destined to remain part of who they are for generations to come.
(228) 863-0422 | 12155 Intraplex Pkwy, Gulfport, MS 39503
First generation Salvador and Bernice Bertucci enjoying a cold beverage at a local joint
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net
August 2026 | 85