A Benton City grocery store changed hands this spring, and the new owners are planning to keep the status quo.

Benton City’s Ki-Be Market became Lep-re-kon Harvest Foods in May, with the property at 1215 Horne Drive purchased by Montemayor Properties LLC for $3.2 million. The store is a 28,351-square-foot building on 3.35 acres of commercial land.

Headquartered in Othello, Lep-re-kon runs seven grocery stores throughout the Columbia Basin. It’s part of the larger food co-op Harvest Foods, which has locations throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

General Manager Andrew Montemayor said the transition has been smooth. Lep-re-kon has worked closely with Mark and Lori Loften, the Ki-Be Market’s former owners, for the past few months. 

“They’re great people, they’re great to work with and really personable,” Montemayor said. “…Working with them has made it smooth.”

Shara Morgan, Benton City Chamber of Commerce’s president and executive director, said the Loften family’s dedication to the community extended beyond the store’s shelves. 

She said the couple quietly and consistently supported Benton City youth programs, the fire department and families in need with generosity and heart. “They’ve built more than a business – they’ve built relationships, memories and a legacy of kindness that will not be forgotten,” she told the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

Morgan said the supermarket has been a vital part of daily life in Benton City, saying it’s “not just a place to buy groceries, but a trusted source for everything from animal feed to plumbing and irrigation supplies. Whether it was a last-minute trip for dinner ingredients or a stop for farm essentials, Ki-Be Market has been there for all of us.”

The store is known for its grain and hardware items in addition to its groceries, and the new owners are committed to keeping those products available: “It’s very important and crucial to that community as we’ve learned,” Montemayor said.

Staying the course

Montemayor said that Lep-re-kon will be keeping things the same in Benton City, for now.

“We weren’t trying to go in and reinvent the wheel by any means,” he said. “Mark and Lori ran a great store.” 

Ki-Be Market and Lep-re-kon Harvest Foods both shared the same wholesaler, URM. When the Loftens began talking about retirement, the wholesaler connected with Lep-re-kon to see if the company would be interested in the Benton City store. 

The store currently has about 20 to 30 staff, and Lep-re-kon hired all of Ki-Be Market’s staff who wanted to stay on at the store. While the company will look for ways to improve the Benton City store in the long term, Montemayor said, Lep-re-kon is still going through a learning process.

Ki-Be Market also was known for bringing in new machines and concepts, such as an orange juice machine and, most recently, an automated bread-baking machine installed last summer. Mark Loften leased the BreadBot from Wilkinson Baking Co., a Walla Walla-based company and the inventor of the bread baking bot.

The BreadBot’s fate in Lep-re-kon Harvest Foods is yet to be determined. Montemayor said the machine hasn’t yet broken even, but they’re still having discussions with Wilkinson Baking Co., and no verdict has been reached yet as to whether the BreadBot will stay or go.

Local growth

Lep-re-kon has stores in Othello, Mattawa, Connell, Moses Lake, Zillah and Prosser. Before Andrew Montemayor’s father, Joe Montemayor, bought the company, the original store owner held a competition to name it. Lep-re-kon won out, a play on the owner’s last name, Lepper, and the Montemayors have stuck with it. 

Joe Montemayor began working at Lep-re-kon in the ’80s and worked his way up until he had the chance to buy the company around 2004. The company has grown organically since then, said Andrew Montemayor. 

Benton City is an exciting place for Lep-re-kon to be because it’s a small community that’s growing, Montemayor said. 

Benton City has a population of 3,845 people, which is 10% increase over the past five years, according to state data.

The Loftens understood the need for the store to continue evolving with the community, Montemayor said, and wanted to make sure that would still happen under new leadership.

“What I love about Benton City is just, it’s growing,” Montemayor said. “…We’re going to be happy to help the store evolve with that growth.”

Morgan said she’s excited to welcome Lep-re-Kon to the community and appreciates its background serving small towns.

“They understand the importance of connection, reliability and respect for what’s been built before them. It’s clear they recognize and value the foundation Mark and Lori laid over the years, and we’re hopeful they’ll continue that legacy of service and community spirit. We look forward to seeing how Harvest Foods will grow with Benton City while honoring the small-town values we all hold dear,” she said.