Iconic American Food Brands that are Actually Foreign-Owned
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Trader Joe's
Few supermarkets are as representative of American food culture as Trader Joe's. Where else are you going to find ready-made broccoli and kale pizza crust, chocolate hummus or ravioli filled with chicken and poblano peppers? Not to mention that incredible Everything But the Bagel Sesame seasoning and the Two-Buck chuck you've definitely tried. There isn't another chain like it in the world.
The first Trader Joe's was opened in 1967 by Joe Coulombe in Pasadena, California. But you might be surprised to learn that the beloved "neighborhood grocery store" was then bought in 1979 by Theo Albrecht, the late co-founder and co-owner of Germany's international chain of Aldi stores. Today, the parent company of Trader Joe's is Aldi Nord, owned by the Albrecht family, about whom very little is known.
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