Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's traces its roots to 1958, when Joe Coulombe took over a small chain of convenience stores called Pronto Markets in the Los Angeles area. Feeling outgunned by 7-Eleven, Coulombe rebranded and opened the first Trader Joe's in 1967 in Pasadena, California, naming it after the popular tiki-themed restaurant Trader Vic's and giving stores a South Seas motif — employees wore Hawaiian shirts and managers were called "captains." Coulombe built the chain around a simple idea: sell unique, private-label products at low prices to educated, adventurous shoppers that mainstream supermarkets were ignoring. In 1979, Coulombe sold the company to Theo Albrecht, co-founder of Aldi, and the Albrecht family continues to own it today — making Trader Joe's and Aldi unlikely corporate siblings. Today, Trader Joe's has 656 locations across the United States and remains known for its rotating private-label product selection and cult-like customer loyalty.