Employee Benefit Plans - Description of Investment Policy (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2011	Jun. 30, 2010
Real Estate
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure
Plan assets by category	5.00%	6.00%
Farmer Brothers Plan
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure
Projected benefit obligation	$ 124,828	$ 107,071	$ 110,449
Accumulated benefit obligation	124,828	107,071
Fair value of plan assets at measurement date	82,110	80,448	63,462
Plan assets by category	100.00%	100.00%
Farmer Brothers Plan \| Equity Securities
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure
Fair value of plan assets at measurement date	53,396	56,792
Plan assets by category	65.00%	70.00%
Farmer Brothers Plan \| Debt Securities
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure
Fair value of plan assets at measurement date	24,610	18,945
Plan assets by category	30.00%	24.00%
Farmer Brothers Plan \| Real Estate
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure
Fair value of plan assets at measurement date	4,104	4,711
Plan assets by category	5.00%	6.00%
Brewmatic Plan
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure
Projected benefit obligation	4,022	3,662	3,707
Accumulated benefit obligation	4,022	3,662
Fair value of plan assets at measurement date	2,718	2,871	2,490
Plan assets by category	100.00%	100.00%
Brewmatic Plan \| Equity Securities
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure
Fair value of plan assets at measurement date	1,767	2,016
Plan assets by category	65.00%	70.00%
Brewmatic Plan \| Debt Securities
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure
Fair value of plan assets at measurement date	815	688
Plan assets by category	30.00%	24.00%
Brewmatic Plan \| Real Estate
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure
Fair value of plan assets at measurement date	136	167
Plan assets by category	5.00%	6.00%
Hourly Employees' Plan
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure
Projected benefit obligation	1,520	1,055	578
Accumulated benefit obligation	1,520	1,055
Fair value of plan assets at measurement date	1,013	421	0
Plan assets by category	100.00%	100.00%
Hourly Employees' Plan \| Equity Securities
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure
Fair value of plan assets at measurement date	686	297
Plan assets by category	68.00%	70.00%
Hourly Employees' Plan \| Debt Securities
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure
Fair value of plan assets at measurement date	261	99
Plan assets by category	26.00%	24.00%
Hourly Employees' Plan \| Real Estate
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure
Fair value of plan assets at measurement date	$ 66	$ 25
Plan assets by category	6.00%	6.00%

For defined benefit pension plans, the actuarial present value of benefits (whether vested or nonvested) attributed by the pension benefit formula to employee service rendered before a specified date and based on employee service and compensation (if applicable) before that date. The accumulated benefit obligation differs from the projected benefit obligation in that it includes no assumption about future compensation levels. For plans with flat-benefit or nonpay-related pension benefit formulas, the accumulated benefit obligation and the projected benefit obligation are the same.

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1) For defined benefit pension plans, the benefit obligation is the projected benefit obligation, which is the actuarial present value as of a date of all benefits attributed by the pension benefit formula to employee service rendered prior to that date. 2) For other postretirement defined benefit plans, the benefit obligation is the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation, which is the actuarial present value of benefits attributed to employee service rendered to a particular date.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Glossary Accumulated Postretirement Benefit Obligation

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6503904

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 132R

-Paragraph 6

-Subparagraph a

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 132R

-Paragraph 5

-Subparagraph a

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 132R

-Paragraph E1

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 715

-SubTopic 20

-Section 50

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (a)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=21915506&loc=d3e1928-114920

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Glossary Projected Benefit Obligation

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6522206

+ Details

- Definition

Assets, usually stocks, bonds, and other investments, that have been segregated and restricted (usually in a trust) to provide benefits, at their fair value as of the measurement date. Plan assets include amounts contributed by the employer (and by employees for a contributory plan) and amounts earned from investing the contributions, less benefits paid. If a plan has liabilities other than for benefits, those non-benefit obligations may be considered as reductions of plan assets.

+ References+ Details