Trader Joe's is one of the most successful grocery store chains in the country, and also one of the most secretive. Now, with an article by reporter Beth Kowitt in the latest issue of Fortune Magazine, we know a little bit more. The article, titled Inside the Secret World of Trader Joe's, digs into the store's history, its business practices, and its long term strategies.

Topics in the article include the company's early days, 43 years ago, as a small shop in Pasadena owned by Joe Coulombe, and their eventual purchase by their current owners, Germany's notoriously private Albrecht family. All together, Fortune “spent two months speaking with former executives, competitors, industry analysts, and suppliers, most of whom asked not to be named,” and it makes for an interesting read on a very popular set of markets.

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