Fareway
Corporate brand
UnclaimedFareway is a privately held Midwestern grocery-store chain headquartered in Johnston, Iowa.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Fareway, formally Fareway Stores, Inc., is a privately held American supermarket chain serving communities across the U.S. Midwest. The company was established on May 12, 1938, when Paul S. Beckwith opened its first store at 624 Story Street in Boone, Iowa. The name Fareway was selected to express the founder's emphasis on treating customers and employees fairly, a principle that became part of the chain's identity. Fareway developed as a regional grocery operator rather than a national supermarket group. By 1950, it had grown to six Iowa locations. Its stores generally serve as community-oriented food retailers offering groceries and everyday household necessities. The chain's product mix includes fresh meat, produce, dairy, frozen foods, packaged grocery items, bakery products, deli selections, beverages, snacks, paper goods, cleaning supplies, and other routine household merchandise. The company is particularly associated with a service-oriented grocery format in which store employees assist customers with meat and other fresh-food purchases. The business experienced a major disruption on February 23, 1964, when a fire caused approximately $1 million in damage to the original Boone store and warehouse. Fareway continued operating and expanding after the incident, retaining Boone as an important base for much of its history. Its subsequent growth remained concentrated in the Midwest, with Iowa continuing to be its central market. A significant geographic turning point came in 2013, when Fareway opened its first store outside Iowa in Tea, South Dakota. The move marked the beginning of a broader multistate expansion into neighboring Midwestern states. Fareway eventually operated 137 grocery locations across Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, and Missouri, according to the cited reference material. Fareway has also highlighted employee-related benefits as part of its operating approach. In December 2018, the company announced a student-loan repayment benefit for eligible full-time employees. The program provided $100 per month, subject to a total maximum of $5,000, placing Fareway among a relatively small share of U.S. employers offering such assistance at the time. In 2023, chief executive officer Reynolds Cramer announced that the company would leave Boone. The headquarters relocation was completed in 2024, when Fareway moved to Johnston, Iowa. The move changed the company's administrative base while keeping it rooted in Iowa and focused on Midwestern grocery retail. Fareway remains an active regional supermarket brand with a store network concentrated in smaller cities and communities across seven states.
History
Fareway began on May 12, 1938, when Paul S. Beckwith opened the first store at 624 Story Street in Boone, Iowa. Beckwith chose the Fareway name to communicate a commitment to fairness in dealings with customers and employees. The company initially developed as an Iowa grocery business, expanding to six locations by 1950. The chain faced a major operational setback on February 23, 1964, when a large fire destroyed or damaged the original Boone store and warehouse. The incident caused approximately $1 million in damage. Despite the loss, Fareway continued as a going concern and maintained its connection with Boone for decades. For much of its development, Fareway concentrated on Iowa communities and operated as a regional supermarket rather than seeking national scale. Its stores supplied regular household shopping needs, combining packaged grocery merchandise with fresh departments such as meat, produce, dairy, bakery, and deli. The company built its identity around local accessibility, practical value, and service-oriented retailing. Fareway's geographic expansion beyond Iowa began in 2013, when it opened a store in Tea, South Dakota. This was the chain's first location outside its founding state and established a platform for subsequent growth across neighboring Midwestern markets. The company's store network later reached 137 locations in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, and Missouri. In December 2018, Fareway introduced a student-loan repayment benefit for eligible full-time employees. The program contributed $100 per month, up to a total of $5,000. This initiative was notable because relatively few U.S. companies offered direct student-loan assistance at the time and because it connected the company's employment proposition with a specific financial benefit. The company began another institutional transition in the 2020s. In 2023, CEO Reynolds Cramer announced the planned departure of the headquarters from Boone. Fareway completed the move in 2024, establishing Johnston, Iowa, as its headquarters. The relocation represented an administrative change rather than a withdrawal from Iowa: the company continued to operate a large Midwestern grocery network, with Iowa remaining its principal market. Fareway remains active as a privately held regional grocery chain.
- 2024
Headquarters moves to Johnston
[1]Fareway moved its headquarters from Boone, Iowa, to Johnston, Iowa.
- 2018
Student-loan repayment benefit introduced
[1]Fareway announced a benefit for eligible full-time employees contributing $100 per month toward student-loan repayment, up to $5,000 total.
- 2013
First store outside Iowa opens
[1]Fareway opened its first out-of-state location in Tea, South Dakota.
- 1964
Fire damages Boone store and warehouse
[1]A major fire on February 23 caused approximately $1 million in damage to the original store and warehouse in Boone.
- 1950
Chain reaches six Iowa locations
[1]Fareway had expanded to six stores across Iowa by 1950.
- 1938
First Fareway store opens in Boone
[1]Paul S. Beckwith opened the first Fareway store at 624 Story Street in Boone, Iowa, on May 12, 1938.
Products and positioning
A community-oriented Midwestern grocery chain emphasizing fair treatment, everyday food and household value, and service in fresh-food departments.
Grocery
Fresh meat
Fareway stores include fresh-meat departments serving routine household grocery needs. The meat offering is part of the chain's service-oriented store model and complements packaged food, produce, dairy, and frozen merchandise.
Grocery
Fresh produce
Fresh fruits and vegetables form part of Fareway's standard supermarket assortment. Produce is sold alongside other everyday food categories in the chain's community grocery stores.
Grocery and household retail
Packaged and household groceries
Fareway offers packaged food, beverages, snacks, dairy, frozen products, bakery and deli items, paper goods, cleaning products, and other household necessities. These categories support the chain's role as a regular full-basket shopping destination for Midwestern communities.
Brand decisions
2024
Headquarters relocationStrategyBackground
Fareway announced in 2023 that it would leave Boone, its longtime headquarters location.
Action taken
The company moved its headquarters to Johnston, Iowa, in 2024.
Aftermath
Johnston became Fareway's administrative headquarters while the company continued operating its Midwestern store network.
2018
Employee student-loan assistanceStrategyBackground
Fareway sought to provide additional support for eligible full-time employees and distinguish its benefits offering.
Action taken
The company introduced a $100-per-month student-loan repayment benefit with a $5,000 lifetime maximum.
Aftermath
The program placed Fareway among the small minority of U.S. employers offering student-loan repayment assistance at the time.
Maximum employee benefit. $5,000 total (Announced December 2018)
2013
Expansion beyond IowaStrategyBackground
Fareway had historically concentrated its operations in Iowa and sought to extend its regional grocery presence.
Action taken
The company opened its first store outside Iowa in Tea, South Dakota.
Aftermath
The opening marked the beginning of Fareway's multistate operating footprint, which later included seven Midwestern states.
Recent events
Reported
Fareway opens first small-format rural store in Colfax[2]
Fareway's first store in its small-store rural pilot was purchased in Colfax, Iowa, in December 2020 and is currently open to the public. The article describes the pilot as an effort to make grocery shopping easier for people in rural towns.
Sources3 sources
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