Louis Perkins and his cousin Sam Franklin founded Perkins in 1915. At that time, the Franklin & Perkins Co. sold twine and plain kraft paper to retail merchants and remained primarily a paper products distribution company until 1973. Through a number of acquisitions, as well as internal product category expansion, Perkins is now New England's largest independent wholesale distributor of foodservice and sanitary maintenance supplies.

Today, Gary and Larry Perkins are the third generation of the Perkins family to run the day-to-day business operation. They lead a group of more than 600 employees, many of which have long, distinguished service records with the company.