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HUFFINGTON
03.10.13
Who Makes Trader Joe’s Food?
BY KRISTEN AIKEN
T’S NO SECRET that Trader Joe’s sells marked-down
name-brand products disguised under its own label.
What is a secret is which big brands
Trader Joe’s carries — when it comes to
publicizing that information, TJ’s remains
mum. The price difference between the
Trader Joe’s and big brand products is
sometimes so big ($2.99 vs. $5.49 for the
same box of cereal?!) that it sparked our
curiosity. Now, we’re on a quest to discover who’s hiding under those TJ’s labels.
I
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAMON DAHLEN
First things first: How is Trader Joe’s
able to sell its product so cheaply? A major
factor is the company’s refusal to bother
with advertising or couponing, both of
which cost most supermarkets a large
chunk of money. (If you’ve never heard of
Trader Joe’s till now, that’s why.) Score
one for TJ’s. Secondly, Trader Joe’s buys its
product directly from the supplier whenever possible, saving even further cost.
You may be wondering why big brands
are okay with Trader Joe’s marking down
their products so drastically. It’s actually