Ben E. Keith Foods

What Ben E. Keith Foods does

Ben E. Keith Foods is a privately held, family-owned broad-line foodservice distributor founded in 1906 in Fort Worth, Texas, and currently operated under fifth-generation family leadership (CEO Howard Hallam). The company operates two parallel divisions: a Food Division serving 20 states from 11+ regional facilities across the South, Southwest, and Southeast (including Dallas/Ft. Worth, San Antonio, Gulf Coast, West Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Mid-South, Southeast Alabama, Florida, and Carolina), and a Beverage Division serving 62+ Texas counties through 14 sales and distribution centers as a distributor of Anheuser-Busch InBev products alongside craft and import beer, spirits, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages. Customer segments span restaurants, hotels, hospitals, schools, colleges/universities, employee feeding, camps, extended care, daycare, and retail/on-premise beverage accounts.

The product portfolio combines third-party distributed brands (AB InBev flagship labels, General Mills, Land O'Lakes, Frank's RedHot, Wayne-Sanderson Farms, DART, Dixie, Markon produce) with proprietary exclusive brands developed internally (1855 Black Angus beef, 1906 BBQ sauce, Admiral of the Fleet seafood, Bellacibo, Ceylon Tea Gardens, Elite World Imports) and Keith Valley Packing Company / BEKO Franks owned meat processing capacity in Alabama and Dallas. Technology infrastructure includes the Entree System ecommerce platform for customer ordering, invoicing, inventory management, and delivery tracking, plus a Seneca Corporation automated recall notification system that contacts customers via phone and email during product recalls, supporting HACCP, FSMA, GMP, and SOP/Sanitation compliance.

Revenue is generated primarily through transactional product sales and distribution margins across two segments. The Food Division generates revenue by delivering fresh and frozen food products including meat, produce, and specialty foods to restaurants, hotels, hospitals, schools, and other foodservice operators across 20 states. The Beverage Division generates revenue by distributing Anheuser-Busch InBev products, craft and import beers, spirits, fine wines, and non-alcoholic beverages through direct sales teams and 14 distribution centers across 62+ Texas counties. Pricing is negotiated B2B and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market model combines direct field sales, the company website's "Become a Customer" intake form, and multi-unit operator access via DMA and Unipro Foodservice buying group relationships.

Name

Ben E. Keith Foods

Legal name

Ben E. Keith Company

Website

https://benekeith.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1906

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Ben E. Keith Foods is a privately held, family-owned broad-line foodservice and premium beverage distributor founded in 1906, operating a Food Division across 20 states and a Beverage Division distributing Anheuser-Busch InBev and craft beverages across 62+ Texas counties for restaurants, hotels, hospitals, schools, and on-premise accounts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foodservice Distribution

NAICS

Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers (42481), Other Food Manufacturing (3119)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

National/Multiregional Broadline Foodservice Distributors (AFAIAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Broadline Foodservice Distribution (CRAOABAA), Bar, Restaurant & On-Premise Beverage Supply Wholesale (AFAIAGAI), Bulk Beverage & Keg Distribution (AFAIAGAK), Institutional Foodservice Distribution (Education, Healthcare, Government) (CRAOABAM), Broadline Foodservice (Multi-Category) Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAAAA)

Keywords

• Broad-line foodservice distribution
• Beverage distribution services
• Anheuser-Busch beer distribution
• Foodservice supply chain
• Restaurant wholesale supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Worth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices19 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Food Distribution: Ben E. Keith Foods operates as a complete broad-line food distributor servicing 20 states, delivering fresh and frozen food products including meat, produce, and specialty foods to restaurants, hotels, hospitals, schools, and other food service operations. Revenue is generated through product sales and distribution services.
2. Beverage Distribution: The Beverage Division distributes Anheuser-Busch InBev products, craft and import beers, spirits, fine wines, and non-alcoholic beverages across over 62 Texas counties through 14 sales and distribution centers. Revenue comes from distribution and product margins.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ben E. Keith Foods is a broad-line foodservice and beverage distributor operating two divisions. The Food Distribution Division is the 5th largest broad-line foodservice distributor in the U.S., supplying restaurants, hotels, hospitals, schools, and other operators across roughly 20 states with center-of-the-plate, produce, frozen, dry, and dairy categories plus exclusive proprietary brands. The Beverage Distribution Division distributes Anheuser-Busch products, craft beer, wine, and spirits to retailers across more than 62 Texas counties from 14 distribution centers.

Product overview

Ben E. Keith operates as a dual-division food and beverage distributor. The Food Division is a complete broad-line distributor servicing twenty states with operations in twelve regions (Carolina, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Florida, Gulf Coast, Keith Valley Packing Company in DFW and Southeast, Mid-South, New Mexico, Oklahoma, San Antonio, Southeast, and West Texas). The Beverage Division serves over 62 Texas counties as a distributor of Anheuser-Busch InBev products, craft and import beer, spirits, fine wine, and non-alcoholic beverages through 14 sales and distribution centers. The company offers proprietary exclusive food brands including 1855 (premium beef), 1906 (barbecue sauce), Admiral of the Fleet (seafood), Bellacibo (Italian), Ceylon Tea Gardens (tea), and Elite World Imports (global foods), plus Keith Valley Packing Company for meat products. The company has built its portfolio through strategic acquisitions including Florida Food Service (2022) and Orrell's Food Service (2023), and has a distribution partnership with Blake's Beverage Company for cider brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 1855: Exclusive beef brand featuring Black Angus heritage stock raised by family ranchers, delivering premium steak-quality beef.
• 1906
• Admiral of the Fleet
• Bellacibo
• Ceylon Tea Gardens
• Elite World Imports
• Keith Valley Packing Company

Products and services

• Food Distribution Division

Quantifiable outcome

• Fifth largest broad-line foodservice distributor in the United States
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Blake's Beverage CompanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 6 January 2026Strategic distribution partnership effective January 2026 where Ben E. Keith Beverages distributes Blake's full portfolio of cider brands including Blake's Hard Cider, Austin Eastciders, and Giddy Up across the state of Texas. Ben E. Keith serves as the exclusive distributor for the brand's products in the region, with the partnership aimed at expanding retail availability and increasing local marketing activation throughout 2026 and beyond.
• Anheuser-Busch InBevcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBen E. Keith is a proud distributor of Anheuser-Busch InBev products through its beverage division serving Texas. The company distributes Anheuser-Busch brands including Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA, and otherABI products across its 14 Texas distribution centers serving 62+ counties.
• MarkoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarkon and member companies have been the foodservice industry's premiere source of fresh produce for more than 30 years. Ben E. Keith features Markon as a key partner providing produce供应 to food service customers.
• Distribution Market Advantage (DMA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDMA provides multi-unit foodservice operators with access to the best regional distributors in the nation. Ben E. Keith participates as a regional distribution partner for over twenty years.
• Unipro FoodserviceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnipro Foodservice connects distributors with quality foodservice products for over 800,000 customers. Ben E. Keith is part of this network enabling access to a broader customer base.
• International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFDA supports foodservice distributors who buy, store, sell, and deliver products to consumers. Ben E. Keith aligns with IFDA standards and practices for the foodservice distribution industry.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sysco: The largest broadline foodservice distributor in the United States. Directly comparable as a broadline foodservice distributor serving restaurants, hotels, healthcare, and education, though Sysco is national in scale and publicly traded.
• US Foods: One of the largest broadline foodservice distributors in the U.S. Comparable in customer base (restaurants, healthcare, hospitality) and broadline distribution model, with a national footprint and public-company scale exceeding Ben E. Keith.
• Performance Food Group: Major broadline foodservice distributor operating through Performance Foodservice and Vistar. Comparable broadline distribution model serving restaurants and institutional accounts, with significantly larger scale and a public-company balance sheet.

Direct peers

• Gordon Food Service: Privately held, family-led broadline foodservice distributor with U.S. and Canadian operations. Highly comparable as a private, family-owned broadline distributor in the same competitive set as Ben E. Keith.
• Shamrock Foods Company: Family-owned broadline foodservice distributor with strong Arizona and Southwest presence plus a dairy manufacturing arm. Closely comparable to Ben E. Keith as a private, family-operated broadline distributor with Southwest-centric geographic overlap.
• Reyes Holdings: Privately held distributor of food and beverages including beer (Martin Brower, Reyes Beverage Group), spirits, and foodservice. Directly comparable beverage distribution overlap with Ben E. Keith's Texas-based beer and beverage division.
• Labatt Food Service: Privately held broadline foodservice distributor serving the South Central and Southwest U.S. Comparable customer segments (restaurants, schools, healthcare) and broadline distribution model with overlapping regional presence.
• Cheney Brothers: Large private broadline foodservice distributor serving the Southeast and Caribbean. Comparable as a broadline distributor with overlapping geographies in Florida and the Southeast after Ben E. Keith's Florida Food Service acquisition.
• Admiral Beverage Corporation: Large privately held beverage distributor with a Pepsi-Cola affiliation and multi-state presence in the Western U.S. Comparable in beverage distribution focus, though concentrated in non-alcoholic beverages and Pepsi-aligned brands.

Others

• Mexican Restaurants, Inc. Less directly comparable; included as a representative customer-side counterpart in the restaurant vertical. Customers such as County Line Bar-B-Q, El Pinto, and Bonnell's illustrate the restaurant segment Ben E. Keith serves.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/benekeithfoods
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCrEG5QBccsy2-rKXHREElSQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/BenEKeithFoods
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ben-e.-keith
• Instagraminstagram.com/benekeithfoods

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A4 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ben E. Keith Foods