RIP

Trader Joe’s Founder Joe Coulombe dead at 89

The founder of one of America’s most popular quirky supermarket chains died in his home in California after a long illness.

Joe Coulombe, the founder of the Trader Joe’s grocery chain known for such items as “Two Buck Chuck” wine and other quirky products, has died at his Pasedna, California, home at the age of 89 after a long illness, his son said in a statement. Coulombe launched the popular chain after being tasked with developing a convenience store to compete with the 7-Eleven convenience stores for Rexall Drugs in 1958. The Rexall shops, called Pronto Markets, were eventually shut down, but Coulombe bought the locations and turned them into his own Trader Joe’s brand. The chain is known for affordable premium foods and private label products bought directly from wholesalers. Coulombe sold Trader Joe’s to German grocery retailer Aldi Nord in 1979 and retired from the company nine years later.