Former Banta Foods owner dies at 70

Courtesy GormanScharpf.com

Chuck Banta died Nov. 25.

Chuck Banta, who led a Springfield-based food service distributor with nine figures in revenue before selling the company, has died.

Banta died Nov. 25 at age 70, according to his obituary posted to GormanScharpf.com.

"Chuck fought a long battle with head and neck cancer. He handled these difficult obstacles with grace and humbleness," his obituary reads. "Chuck truly displayed genuine kindness toward others with a listening ear and support to many."

Banta was the longtime leader and owner of Banta Foods, which he sold in 2008 to Reinhart FoodService, according to Springfield Business Journal archives. Banta bought the century-old business nearly two decades earlier from his father, Charles T. Banta.

Chuck Banta served as a division president for Reinhart Foodservice from 2008 to 2010, at which time he retired, according to his LinkedIn profile. Richmond, Virginia-based Performance Food Group Co. (NYSE: PFGC) bought Reinhart Foodservice in 2019, according to PFG's website.

Prior to selling the company to Reinhart Foodservice, Banta led Banta Foods to post revenues of nearly $200 million. The company was named multiple times as one of the fastest-growing businesses in the area through SBJ's Dynamic Dozen awards.

SBJ archives indicate Banta Foods traces its roots to 1895 when W.P. Stewart and W.H. Jezzard formed Stewart Produce Co. The name changed to W.H. Jezzard & Sons in 1922 when Paul and Frank Jezzard joined the company and bought out Stewart. In 1945, Charles T. Banta married Paul Jezzard’s daughter, Margaret. Charles T. Banta bought the business in 1962; the company was named Banta Foods in 1984, and Chuck Banta bought the business five years later.