As the name might imply, Heritage FS has a long history. Heritage predecessor’s date back to the 1920s when companies such as the Ford County. Farm Supply, Kankakee Coal & Oil, Will County Farm Supply, Iroquois Farm Supply and DuPage Farmers supply were founded. Each of those companies was a result of studies by their respective county Farm Bureaus as farmers of the 1920s were mechanizing their operations, requiring gasoline rather than hay for fueling "horse-power".

These companies started with one or two delivery trucks; a small warehouse and 8,000 to 16,000 gallons of storage.

As the needs of farmers continued to grow, so did the needs of the single county cooperatives serving them. Ford & Iroquois joined as did Will and DuPage.

On Aug. 1, 1992 Heritage FS was born through consolidation of Ford-Iroquois FS and Kankakee Service Co., with Will-DuPage services merging with Heritage on March 1, 2001. The original five facilities have grown to 23 and the eight delivery units to over 150.

Annual sales in 1928 ranged from $38,000 to $62,000. Annual sales when Heritage started were just under $20 million. Now with five counties, sales will exceed $63 million. Heritage FS is governed by 12 directors elected by 6.600 shareholders. The directors set policies and hire a manager and hold monthly meetings at the corporate office located in the Farm-Bureau Building in Gilman, IL.

Heritage FS now serves over 6,000 patrons with its numerous products. Being a cooperative, Heritage also pays dividends on preferred stock and patronage annually to those who buy products. Since 1992, $187,000 in dividends and $2,100,000 in patronage has been returned to patrons. There has been an additional $700,000 returned to Heritage FS stockholders in special redemptions.

Heritage FS employs 92 full-time professionals and additionally, 60 people work on a seasonal basis.