Trader Joe's founder Joe Coulombe died Friday at his home in Pasadena, California, which was also the location of his first Trader Joe's store. According to the Washington Post -- "The man who founded Trader Joe’s has died, and people are mourning the cultural icon" --
"Coulombe sold Trader Joe’s to German grocery retailer Aldi Nord in 1979. He retired from the company nine years later.
"Part of Coulombe’s strategy was producing a store brand of as many products as he could, cutting the cost of production and delivering those savings to customers.
"He would also stop selling an item if it wasn’t in season or easily available, meaning the store’s stock was always changing."Trader Joe's didn't open in Ann Arbor until around a decade ago. However, I had already shopped at TJ's in California, and I've been shopping at the Ann Arbor one ever since. It helps that the store is only around half a mile from my house. I could easily walk there but I couldn't walk back because of all the items I impulse buy whenever I'm there.
It's true that they keep changing their product mix, and there are definitely some things I miss from the past such as puffed wheat cereal (which Quaker doesn't make any more either) or Red Boat Vietnamese Fish Sauce. Besides prepared products, I like quite a few of their fresh produce options, such as cleaned and trimmed leeks, a variety of small tasty tomatoes, various colored peppers, and several types of clementines.
Here are just a few of the photos that I've posted on this blog in the past 10 years or so:
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| Nice seafood! I also like the frozen fish at TJ's. |
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| These Bistro Biscuits (very much like Lotus/Delta cookies) were good, but in Trader Joe's usual fashion, they disappeared from the shelves. |
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| Trader Joe's sign in 2010. |
All above photos are mine, © 2010-2020 mae sander for maefood dot blogspot dot com
Rest In Peace, Joe
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| Joe Coulombe in 1985 (AP photo from msn news) |
I was only made aware recently that Aldi's owned TJs. This actually elevated Aldi's standing in my book.
ReplyDeleteNice tribute, Mae. Our TJ is about 20 miles away so I rarely visit.
@Debra -- the US store named Aldi is from the Aldi Süd chain of Aldi stores. Trader Joe's is owned by the other Aldi, called Aldi Nord. The two chains are mostly separate, but connected by history (founded by the same family) and also by some common branding. Confusing, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteTrader Joe's has become my main grocery supermarket (beside the farmers market) since we had moved here from Germany in 2001. The employees are still the same in that store. After the 2017 October fires the store was closed for more than a year (it hadn't burnt down, but was severely damaged), and all the employees were working in the other TJ store (yes, we are lucky in having two Trader Joes). It was a huge celebration when the store re-opened. I like the "family" feel I get there.
ReplyDeleteI don't like the Aldi in the US. We visited them at the East Coast and we weren't impressed. However, Aldi Süd in Germany is excellent (and was my preferred source, again beside the farmers market) whereas Aldi Nord is definitely the weaker one of the two. Aldi was originally founded by Karl Albrecht as a very small shop, but then his sons Theo and Karl reformed the shop (which was then under the leadership of their mother Anna) after WWII and in 1961 decided to go separate ways and divided Aldi into Nord and Süd. Theo Albrecht was kidnapped in November 1971 for 17 days - I still remember that time very well. A high ransom was paid and half of that money still hasn't been recovered. Wild stories...
Didn't know TJ is owned by ALDI Nord...
ReplyDeleteRest in peace, Joe!
I specifically walk to the shops to prevent impulse buying. You have had some good finds from the store :)
ReplyDeleteThe only Trader Joe-products here you get at ALDI. They are of very good quality.
ReplyDelete"Ha-ha", read the second sentece first! He sold it to "us"?!!! And I never knew?!
Next time I´ll have a closer look (we´re ALDI Nord), but I think it´s a smaller range of products.
I think it´s funny how ALDI works. In Australia they work the German way, too - you walk in on the right side, not the left. You pay the trolley, you need your own bags or buy, you pack yourself and some Aussie-friends were like "WHAT?" and even I ran in the wrong direction after haveing been in Perth for weeks.
Trader Joe´s. He sure traded now.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI love Trader Joe's, it is a distance from my home. Joe will be missed, RIP Joe!
Such a nice tribute. Like everyone else, I love Trader Joe's. I get so many wonderful things there.
ReplyDeleteMae, I was in TJ's in Prescott, Arizona Saturday and picked up my first bottle of Red Boat Vietnamese Fish Sauce so it's still in some of the stores, anyway. Now I just have to figure out what to do with it. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteIf I had a TJ's in town I probably wouldn't shop much of anywhere else. Their food is good, interesting and reasonably priced. I hate it when things go seasonal (what? No lemon bars in winter?! No peppermint jojo cookies in summer?) but then you appreciate them so much more when they get back on the shelf! He created quite a legacy for himself. This is a beautiful post.
ReplyDeleteI love Trader Joes- wish we had them here. RIP Joe.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting post. I am a huge fan of Trader Joe. In Philadelphia , I go all the time. However, for my 6 months in Florida I don't get the opportunity because the traffic is so intense that it takes me almost an hour to get there. Funny, I made a decision yesterday to make the trip this week. Your post reminded me how much I'm missing!
ReplyDeleteShopping at TJ's is always an interesting experience. I don't like when they discontinue products that I've become addicted to, though. :D
ReplyDeleteI so miss having a Trader Joe's nearby. When I lived in Seattle I was there frequently and I always stop when I am on the mainland. Luckily have a good friend in California who sends me frequent TJ's care packages to try new items & restock my favorite things. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI have always heard good things about Trader Joes. I wish there was one near me!
ReplyDeleteWe don't have Trader Joe's here. I feel like I am missing out now!
ReplyDeleteI love Trader Joe's, but rarely make the special trip because the gluten-free TJ products aren't processed on separate G/F equipment, so they're not celiac-safe. We recently got our first Aldi's, but I don't know which Aldi's it is!
ReplyDeleteI love Trader Joe's. e shop there weekly. There are just so many things there you can't get anywhere else. But I too hate when they discontinue stuff I love!
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