Purnell's Old Folks Country Sausage
Purnell's "Old Folks" Country Sausage is a brand of breakfast sausage that is manufactured in Simpsonville, Kentucky, by the F.B. Purnell Sausage Company.
Purnell's was founded by Fred B. "Old Folks" Purnell with the help of his wife Clara (who lived to be 102 years old) 1, the father of Allen Purnell, Sr. who is the current spokesman for all of Purnell's commercials. Fred was nicknamed "Old Folks" as a boy because he loved hearing stories from the "old folks". He first created his sausage in 1932 because he missed the homemade sausage he grew up with and used the "whole hog" with the best cuts of hams, loins, and shoulders and his special BLEND of salt, pepper, and seasonings (all of which remain a trademark of their sausage to this day). One day a co-worker at the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company (Fred was a steam engine mechanic) tried some of his sausage and wanted to buy some. Soon word spread of how good his sausage was and by the time Fred retired, he decided to start his own sausage business in Louisville, Kentucky, in the 1950s, later building its plant in nearby Simpsonsville. 2
Since the 1960s, Purnell's sausage advertisements (typically starring Al Purnell and later his children and grandchildren) have been a staple during University of Kentucky basketball games. Purnell's is also known for its slogan "It's Gooooood!" In addition to its breakfast sausage (sold in boxes of patties, links, or 16 ounce rolls in its original medium flavor and a variety of others), Purnell's also sells bologna, franks, Italian sausage, smoked sausage, bratwurst, chorizo, frozen sausage biscuits and prepared sausage gravy.