2007 Dynamic Dozen Honoree: Banta Food Inc.

The Associated Press reported in late February that more than 30 new restaurants opened in Branson last year and that the total would reach more than 440 this year. With Branson being a main service area, along with Springfield and Fayetteville, Ark., Banta’s company has grown alongside those communities.

Each population and business surge draws the attention of restaurant operators, and each new restaurant is a client in the making, said Banta, the Springfield wholesale food distributor’s president and CEO.

“All those markets have really grown in the last few years … and along with that comes the services,” Banta said. “There’s been a lot more restaurants. Of course, a lot more chains have come in.”

The restaurant growth in those key markets has helped to push Banta Foods’ revenue to $193 million in 2006 and into Springfield Business Journal’s Dynamic Dozen fastest-growing companies for the third time in four years. Banta Foods has grown 35 percent since recording revenues of $143 million in 2004.

Banta Foods serves regional and national restaurant chains, independent restaurants and institutional clients such as schools from a single distribution point in Springfield, 1620 N. Packer Road. The company covers a 10-state region and travels up to 600 miles to serve the national accounts, such as Applebee’s – about 130 stores – and Panera Bread – about 85 stores. Additional drivers in Kansas City and Jonesboro, Ark., help to cover that footprint.

On the move

Another key element kicking up growth, Banta said, is the addition of BFI Trucking, a Banta Foods subsidiary.

Last year, the company created BFI Trucking to haul merchandise in addition to food. “We have a common-carrier permit,” Banta said.

“We’ll haul non-Banta deliveries out of Springfield … or we may take (Banta orders) on our own trucks and deliver to Texas and then haul merchandise back for other people,” he added.

Banta hired two recent Missouri State University graduates to handle the logistics of the new company.

Other new hires last year beefed up the sales force. Banta added six salespeople for its “down-the-street business,” which includes schools, hospitals, nursing homes and independent restaurants.

Banta said a total of 35 salespeople are working and living within a 150-mile radius of Springfield.

“We’ve placed more emphasis on our independent restaurants,” Banta said.

Banta said the independent restaurateurs are an elusive target compared to the chains, which buy centrally through a purchasing department for all their stores. Independents buy individually, and often, they buy from Banta’s competitors – wherever they can get better pricing. “It’s just almost two different types of mentalities,” Banta said.

Technology trends

Banta Foods is planning a $1 million, two-year software upgrade beginning this summer to implement bar coding for warehouse packaging. The system in place requires a manual count and entry into a computer, Banta said. Under the new system, a simple scan would reveal where a product is located and how many items are in house.

For efficiencies on the road, Banta Foods uses Roadnet software developed by UPS, which creates optimal routes.

Trucks are equipped with Global Positioning Systems, and drivers communicate with the logistics center via text messaging.

“If we want to find out where a truck is, say in St. Louis or Dallas, we can pull it up and see where it is,” Banta said.

But other improvements come from the tried-and-true methods. For instance, Banta attends national food shows to view products and meet with suppliers. Most recently, Banta was at the UniPro Foodservice purchasing conference March 4–7 in Las Vegas. He returns with new ideas and trends in the marketplace to show customers.

Banta also has an industrial test kitchen on site to analyze products.

“We‘re constantly bringing product in and doing taste-testing and sampling and may even bring customers in to look at product,” Banta said.

“It’s easy to look at the picture, but you need to take it out of the box, cook it up and taste it.”