Stanz Foodservice shutters after 102 years as Raydia Food Group ceases operations

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Stanz Foodservice in South Bend, Troyer's in Goshen, and the rest of Raydia Food Group are all apparently shuttering.

Current and former employees confirmed the news to ABC57 Wednesday, despite Raydia's refusal to comment.

ABC57's Annie Kate spoke with multiple former Stanz employees, all of whom confirm this closure, but many didn't want to speak on camera, now that they're back on the job hunt. But overall, these employees said it's sad, this was a local institution since 1923, a great place to work, and family-owned until it was bought out in 2022.

A private equity company bought Stanz and Troyer's in early 2022. Then, it acquired B&B roughly a year later, forming what they called--- Raydia Food Group, according to a former employee.

ABC57 was sent an email, which apparently went out to dozens of employees last week, alerting them that all company operations are ceasing. This affects all Raydia locations, including Stanz in South Bend, Troyer's in Goshen, and other locations in Bloomington and Terre Haute.

Stephen Heckman worked for Stanz in human resources for 17 years before he retired in 2023.

"There are so many people that worked here," Heckman said, "and then, by extension, the people that were families of the people that worked here who were touched somehow by the way that these people came to work each day, earned a living, went home, put food on the table, going back to 1923."

Raydia Food Group responded "no comment" to all calls from ABC57 Wednesday.

The store will remain open through November or until inventory runs out, employees said.