A LOCAL TREASURE – Pikeville family business celebrates 51 years

Story by LISA SAVAGE | Photography by MARK GILLILAND

When Lester Burks’ father, Gary Burks, started Life Line Foods more than 50 years ago, the family business was among the leaders in the health food bakery industry. A lot has changed since its all-natural, fresh-baked bread products were delivered at times on a Greyhound bus to small grocery stores across the southeastern United States.

Now, Life Line Foods focuses solely on liquid nutrition, known by the brand name Buried Treasure.

The company ships thousands of Buried Treasure products all over the world from its manufacturing facility in Pikeville. There’s no storefront, but about 22 employees work in the local state-of-theart manufacturing and distribution facility, and there are about 50 Buried Treasure sales representatives across the country.

Life Line Foods is a family-owned business in Pikeville. From left are Andrew Burks, Luis Alonso and Lester Burks.

A FAMILY BUSINESS

Life Line Foods started in 1969, providing a healthy, organic alternative to standard bakery products. Gary Burks passed away a few years ago, but the company continues to thrive.

“This was one of the first companies to produce and mass market sprouted-grain breads,” Burks says. The bakery sold exclusively to health food outlets and grocery stores all over the country, producing products under the brand name Breads for Life. Products went out by truck and van. It wasn’t unusual to ship through the bus lines, too.

“In the early days, if a little store in Meridian, Mississippi, needed a shipment of bread, we’d pack it and take it to the bus station,” Burks says. “The store owner would be notified and would meet the bus at the local bus station.”

Natural products were growing in popularity, and the company expanded. In 1988, Lester Burks bought the business from his parents and developed the Breads for Life brand into the No. 1 selling sprouted whole-grain bread.

Two years later, the company began producing frozen organic pizza, which it distributed in health food stores. The bakery products were scaled back as more grocery stores added their own bakeries.

Regina Ramirez tests raw ingredients.

By the mid-1990s, the company had added a line of dietary supplements, which took things in a new direction. Burks found his niche while working to find a nutrient formula his mother needed. She suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and was having a difficult time finding one of the supplements that had helped her.

“At that time, nobody was making liquid dietary supplements in the health food industry,” he says. “I told her I thought we could make it for her.” That choice led to the company’s line of liquid nutrients.

The Buried Treasure products contain no fillers, and Burks says the body absorbs nutrients in liquid form much faster. He says most experts agree that the need for vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements is greater today than ever before because an overprocessed food supply means depleted nutrient content. And the liquid is ideal for those with difficulty swallowing tablets and capsules.

The company formulates its liquid nutrients in an all-natural base of fruit juices, and they do not contain the artificial colorings or fillers common in other products. The Buried Treasure brand, now with almost 40 products, goes out across the country through its website, as well as on Amazon, Walmart and other major online retail sites.

A CHANGING INDUSTRY

As business practices change, keeping up is a challenge, Burks says.

“As pressure on brick and mortar retail stores rises, customers are moving to online purchasing, which is here to stay.” Burks says. “Due to the global nature of our business and the necessity of growing online sales, high-speed internet provided through BTC Fiber is indispensable for our business. In this age of online sales, it’s imperative that Life Line Foods has a direct relationship with our consumers to ensure top-notch service in delivering the highest quality products to our consumer.”

Quality Control Director Brenda Philpott brings supplies from the warehouse.

That fact doesn’t mean he won’t market to new customers, but the way the company does that has adjusted with the times. “We’re not going to put an ad in the back of a magazine,” he says. Life Line Foods uses Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, along with its own website.

The production process has changed as well. There are more regulations than ever before, with oversight by the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Agriculture and other regulatory agencies. “It’s as regulated as any over-the-counter drug,” Burks says.

Locally grown plants are used as much as possible for production. A local hemp farmer provides the plants for the CBD products, which are made by workers in the local manufacturing facility.

Burks also is an advocate for the natural products industry, staying abreast of laws and regulations affecting its members. He serves as president of Southeast Natural Products Association, a national independent natural product retail association.

He spends about 25% of his time in his role as the association’s president traveling for meetings and shows.

A few years ago, he began the transition for his son and sonin-law to take over the family company. They grew up in the business, so it’s been an easy transition, and Burks plans to retire in a few years.

Burks has seen a lot of changes in the industry and knows that evolving is key for continued success.

“We’ve had to be able to adjust to what is happening in the industry,” Burks says. “Times have changed, and we’ve changed with them.” 

For more information about Buried Treasure, go to buriedtreasureln.com.