Payton’s Barbecue was born in 1953 in the basement of a small grocery store located in Veedersburg, Indiana. Using a hot plate and a small pan, store owner Zula Payton pulled ingredients off of her shelves in pursuit of making the best barbecue. Zula shared samples with customers as they came in and used their feedback to make adjustments. Word spread about Zula’s barbecue and local restaurants began contacting her about adding her recipe to their menus.

By 1973, orders from customers and restaurants were piling up, and Zula Payton had to make a choice. Should she stay in her small grocery store or take a leap of faith and purchase a bigger building to pursue her dream? She took the leap and purchased a building in Veedersburg, which took nearly a year to convert into a processing facility. When Zula upgraded locations, she also upgraded equipment and exchanged her hot plate and small pan for pressure cookers, aluminum pans, and a stove. Foodservice distributors started showing interest in selling Payton’s Barbecue around this time. After all, many of the restaurants they serviced were already Payton’s customers.

Zula passed away in 1985, but her three children kept their mother's legacy going.

Zula's children ran Payton's together for three years. On April 1, 1988, Dwayne Payton (Zula's son) and his wife, Marilyn, began running Payton's with the help of their children.

By 1990, demand was so high that we could no longer keep up using a stove and pressure cookers. Because of this and demands from the USDA, we invested in new equipment -- a steam jacketed kettle. This enabled staff to make three times as much barbecue in the same amount of time.

We continued to grow and realized that it was once again time to move. We purchased our current building in 1994 and completed renovations in 1995. The bigger space allowed us to implement newer, larger equipment and develop a system that made growing into the retail and food service markets possible.

In March 2012, Tron Gabbard joined Tom Payton (Zula's grandson) in running the business. Although Tron isn't technically a Payton, he's become part of the family and keeps Zula's goals at the forefront -- making the best barbecue possible. Tron acquired Payton's in 2016, and Tom stayed on until April 2016 to oversee the transition process.

Decades later, we are still located in Veedersburg, Indiana and continue to hand pull pork daily, just like Zula Payton. While Payton’s Pulled Pork Barbecue is our staple, our products are enjoyed by families throughout Indiana and parts of the Midwest. With families of our own, we want to help take care of yours. We do not add preservatives, and all of our products are all natural and gluten free. As a result, you can feel good serving your family any of our fully-cooked, heat-and-serve products. Our products are available in your local Kroger, SAMS Club, GFS Marketplace, and family-owned grocery store.