Dave's Supermarket

What Dave's Supermarket does

Dave's Supermarket is a privately held, family-owned independent grocery retailer headquartered at 120 S. 3rd Street in Fairbury, Illinois. Founded in 1950 by Dave and Emma Lou Steffen as a 3,800-square-foot store with three team members, the company has expanded multiple times to occupy over 40,000 square feet of retail space covering a full city block. The business operates a single physical storefront and serves local community shoppers in and around Fairbury, with current operations run by Brian Steffen and grandsons Justin Steffen and Matt Zehr following the 2018-2022 retirements of the second generation. The company is incorporated as Dave's Supermarket, Inc. under the laws of the State of Illinois.

The product offering spans full-line grocery retail (produce, meat and seafood, dairy, bakery, frozen foods, canned goods, snacks, beverages, personal care) and a portfolio of differentiated, in-house lines including Dave's Old Fashioned Canned Meats (USDA-inspected on-site retort, 3-year shelf life), Dave's Smokehouse Meats (Ole Hickory Pit), Dave's Fried Chicken (30+ year recipe), private label Always Save, and the 3rd Street Deli (72-seat dine-in plus take-out). Distinctive in-store experiences include the free Dave's Pinabar self-service pineapple station. The technology stack is deliberately lightweight: a Freshop-powered e-commerce website and iOS/Android mobile app, an Instacart home-delivery integration, and a rewards program. Back-end infrastructure relies on Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) for procurement since April 2017 and on Boar's Head and Greenridge for premium deli products.

Dave's revenue mechanics are primarily transactional in-store grocery sales supplemented by deli dine-in, catering, prepared foods, and limited e-commerce/Instacart delivery. Unit pricing examples (e.g., $7.49 rotisserie chicken, $0.50 daily ice cream cones) and 3,000-5,000 promotional price points are used to drive traffic. The customer base is a long tail of individual local consumers plus a forthcoming OSF Healthcare Peace Meal senior-meal program beginning June 1, 2026. Marketing is community-focused across website, weekly ads, mobile app, recipes, coupons, and a rewards program. The company has no subsidiaries, no disclosed funding history, and no M&A activity, consistent with its status as a multigenerational family enterprise.

Name

Dave's Supermarket

Legal name

Dave's Supermarket, Inc.

Website

https://davessupermarket.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Dave's Supermarket is a family-owned, single-store independent grocery retailer in Fairbury, Illinois, serving local community shoppers since 1950 with full-line groceries, a 72-seat 3rd Street Deli, on-site USDA canned meats, smokehouse, and catering, supported by AWG wholesale, Freshop e-commerce, and Instacart delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Grocery Retail

NAICS

Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (44511), Grocery and Convenience Retailers (4451)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411), Retail-Food Stores (5400)

akta.pro primary industry

Supermarket Operators with In-Store Foodservice/Prepared Foods Focus (CRAHAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

In-Store / Supermarket Bakeries (THAFAFAE), Delis & Sandwich Specialty Stores (CRAHAGAF)

Keywords

• Grocery retail
• Supermarket operations
• Deli catering
• Private label foods
• Online grocery ordering

Headquarters

HQ city

Fairbury

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. In-Store Grocery Retail: Traditional grocery retail sales through physical store. Offers fresh produce, meat, seafood, dairy, bakery, frozen foods, canned goods, snacks, beverages, and personal care items.
2. Deli and Prepared Foods: 3rd Street Deli serves fried chicken, rotisserie chickens, sandwiches, paninis, homemade soups, and smoked meats. Din-in seating for 72 and take-out available.
3. Private Label Canned Meats: USDA-inspected canned meats (Beef, Italian Beef, Chicken, Pork) processed on-site. Products have 3-year shelf life and require no refrigeration.
4. Catering and Food Service: Catering services for events including backyard barbecues to large celebrations. Provides smoked meats, fried chicken, and deli items for gatherings.
5. Online Ordering and Delivery: E-commerce platform with Instacart home delivery integration for online grocery orders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Dave's Supermarket is a family-owned community grocery store selling fresh produce, meat, dairy, and bakery items, complemented by an in-store deli restaurant (3rd Street Deli), catering services, USDA-inspected canned meats under the Dave's brand, and online ordering with home delivery through Freshop and Instacart.

Product overview

Dave's Supermarket is a family-owned regional grocery retailer operating as a single-store supermarket with multiple integrated service offerings. The core retail business spans fresh departments (Produce, Meat/Seafood, Dairy, Bakery, Frozen Foods) alongside private-label brands (Always Save, Dave's Smokehouse Meats, Dave's Fried Chicken, Dave's Old Fashioned Canned Meats). The company differentiates through service features including the free Dave's Pinabar self-service pineapple station, the 3rd Street Deli restaurant (seating 72), and Dave's Food Service catering. Online shopping is enabled through a mobile app (Freshop Groceries) and Instacart home delivery integration, supported by a loyalty rewards program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Always Save: Private label brand offering affordable grocery products, part of the Always Save product line available at the store.
• Dave's Pinabar
• Dave's Smokehouse Meats
• Dave's Fried Chicken
• Dave's Old Fashioned Canned Meats

Products and services

• 3rd Street Deli

Quantifiable outcome

• Canned meats have 3-year shelf life with no refrigeration required
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2017Partnership began April 2017 with Associated Wholesale Grocers, the largest grocery coop in the nation. AWG does over $10 billion in annual sales with almost 4,000 retailers across 36 states. This partnership provides enhanced buying power enabling Dave's to pass along deeper discounts to customers through 3,000-5,000 temporary reduced prices plus weekly ad specials.
• InstacartcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHome delivery partnership through Instacart platform. Customers can order groceries online and receive home delivery via Instacart delivery service. Links to Instacart storefront for Dave's Supermarket.
• FreshopcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform powering Dave's mobile app for iOS and Android. Freshop Groceries app enables online grocery ordering, weekly ad viewing, and store information access. App available on Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
• Boar's Head & GreenridgeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremium delicatessen product distributors. Dave's 3rd Street Deli is a distributor of Boar's Head & Greenridge premium meats and cheeses. These products contain no fillers, gluten, artificial flavors, colors, or trans fat.
• OSF Healthcare (Peace Meal Program)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership beginning June 1, 2026 for OSF Peace Meal Dining Program. Customers 60 years and older can purchase $4 Meal Tickets to be redeemed at Dave's 3rd St. Deli.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brookshire Brothers: Brookshire Brothers is a family-owned regional grocer operating in small Texas communities. Comparable to Dave's as a multi-generational, family-operated independent supermarket chain emphasizing community service, fresh prepared foods, deli service, and hometown loyalty in rural markets.
• IGA (Independent Grocers Alliance): IGA is a cooperative of independent grocers operating under a shared brand and supply network. Highly comparable to Dave's business model — family-owned community grocery stores leveraging a wholesale alliance for buying power, private-label distribution, and operational support.
• Coborn's: Coborn's is a family-owned regional grocery chain operating in the Upper Midwest with strong prepared foods, deli, catering, and online ordering capabilities. Comparable to Dave's as a family-operated, community-focused supermarket chain with similar product mix and service-driven positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Kroger: Kroger is the largest pure-play U.S. supermarket operator with national reach. Comparable as a full-line grocery retailer offering in-store foodservice, deli, bakery, private label brands, mobile app ordering, and delivery — competing with Dave's for share-of-wallet in the Illinois market.
• Walmart Supercenter: Walmart operates the dominant grocery format in rural U.S. markets, including Illinois. Directly comparable as a competing full-line grocer offering produce, deli, bakery, private label, online ordering, and pickup/delivery — and is the primary competitive threat to independent supermarkets like Dave's.
• Hy-Vee: Hy-Vee is an employee-owned regional supermarket chain with over 280 stores across the Midwest. Comparable to Dave's in offering in-store dining, deli, prepared foods, catering, private label, and online ordering — but at much broader scale and geographic reach.
• Aldi: Aldi is a global discount grocery chain with deep penetration across Illinois including rural communities. Comparable to Dave's as a competing grocery format for value-conscious shoppers, though Aldi's hard-discount model and limited prepared-foods offering differentiates the proposition.

Regional players

• Dierbergs Markets: Dierbergs is a family-owned St. Louis-area supermarket chain known for premium in-store experience, prepared foods, deli, and bakery. Comparable to Dave's in family ownership, premium in-store experience features (similar in spirit to Pinabar), and emphasis on prepared foods and deli dining.
• County Market (Niemann Foods): County Market is an Illinois-based regional supermarket banner owned by Niemann Foods, operating community-focused grocery stores across small and mid-size Illinois towns. Directly comparable to Dave's as a competing Illinois community grocer with in-store deli, prepared foods, and hometown retail positioning.
• Schnucks: Schnucks is a family-owned regional supermarket chain headquartered in St. Louis with a strong Midwest footprint including Illinois. Comparable to Dave's as a family-led grocery operator with in-store prepared foods, deli service, and community-focused retail, though at significantly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DAVES_SUPERMKT

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Dave's Supermarket