In 1919, John Ramey bought a small grocery store in Springfield, Mo., with his mustering-out pay from the army. It was a small, neighborhood grocery store which proved to be successful, and eventually he expanded to a total of eight small stores.

In 1939, Ramey boldly established the first modern supermarket in this area. It was located in an empty field outside of town. People thought he was crazy for building a store out in the country, but this turned out to be one of the most successful ventures in the food business in the area.

During the war it was difficult to obtain merchandise for eight stores, so John Ramey consolidated all of his stores into this one supermarket and permanently closed the other small stores. This transition marked an important milestone in Ramey history. In 1946, John Ramey sold his supermarket to two gentlemen from Kansas City. These people followed with a second Ramey Supermarket in 1954, another one in 1957, and one more in 1965, all of which were located in Springfield.

On January 15, 1967, the stores were sold to a new corporation, the Cohen family through Roswil Inc., a Maryland-based company that was taking its first venture into the supermarket industry. Initially under the management of Richard Taylor, the small chain of stores grew beyond southwest Missouri by acquisition and consolidation in rural markets.

Richard Taylor transitioned the management of Ramey to his son Erick in 1993. Erick Taylor continued to expand the company through a combination of acquisitions and new store development. As part of this process, many Ramey stores were converted to the Price Cutter banner, primarily in the metropolitan Springfield, Missouri area.

In April of 2002, Price Cutter acquired seven Albertson’s stores in southwest Missouri, which now operate under the banners of Price Cutter Plus and Smitty’s. Inside these stores customers find full-service Starbucks kiosks, large international aisles, an extensive variety of natural and organic foods and products, and fresh sushi prepared daily. The format is a Price Cutter store “Plus,” hence the name.

Because the company started operating with more than two banners, RPCS Inc. (an acronym for Ramey/Price Cutter/Smitty’s) was established in 2004 as the parent company’s name.

In July 2007, RPCS Inc. acquired nine Albertson’s stores in the Tulsa area, adding yet another name, Food Pyramid. This concept was new and innovative, with a goal of providing helpful nutritional information in order for consumers to make informed decisions about what they feed their families.

In March 2008, RPCS Inc. acquired two more Oklahoma stores in Ponca City. One became Food Pyramid and the other kept its original name of Ponca City Discount Foods.

In 2008, the parent company name was changed to Pyramid Foods to be more encompassing of each of the store banners, feeling that the RPCS name had been outgrown.

Since its initial acquisition of stores, the company has successfully transformed itself into a multi-bannered chain, providing customers in three states with new facilities, full-service departments, and more variety.

Today, Pyramid Foods operates a total of 45 retail grocery stores: 33 in Missouri under the Ramey, Price Cutter, Price Cutter Plus, and Smitty's banners, one Save-A-Lot store in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, ten Food Pyramid stores in Tulsa, Bartlesville, Ponca City and Stillwater, Oklahoma, and one Discount Foods in Ponca City, Oklahoma. The company also offers online grocery shopping in the Springfield and Joplin areas.

Pharmacies are located within 30 stores, and full-service Starbucks coffee shops with free wi-fi are tucked within 11 Price Cutter Plus and 6 Food Pyramid locations. The company utilizes Associated Wholesale Grocers Inc. as its primary supplier.

An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) became effective as of Jan. 1, 2005, and acquired 100% of the stock of the company as of December of 2004. The ESOP is intended to give each employee a share in the ownership of the company. As owners, they will all share in both risks of capital ownership and the success and growth of the company.

Affiliated with the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper since 1999 and now title sponsor of this local stop of the national PGA tournament, the company has helped raise more than $6 million for children’s charities in the Ozarks and helped make possible the construction of 5 Habitat For Humanity homes. The tournament is held each summer at Springfield’s Highland Springs Country Club.