Who owns Trader Joe's?
Trader Joe's is owned by Aldi Nord (Germany), which has owned the brand since 1979.[1] Trader Joe's was founded in 1967 in Pasadena, California and was independent until 1979.
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Key facts
- Current owner
- Aldi Einkauf SE & Co. oHG (Aldi Nord) reported
- Owned since
- Previous owner
- Independent (1967–1979)
- Owner HQ
- 🇩🇪 Germany, Essen
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States, Pasadena, California
- Founded
- 1967
- Category
- Food › Meals & meal components › Canned & shelf-stable meals
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's was founded in California in 1967 and sells almost entirely own-label products in small shops with nautical decoration and hand-lettered signs. Aldi Nord acquired it in 1979, and the German ownership of this most American-seeming of chains surprises most of its customers.
Ownership timeline of Trader Joe's
Where Trader Joe's sits in Aldi Nord
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Aldi Nord ownership tree →
Other brands owned by Aldi Nord
Latest news about Trader Joe's
No tagged news items yet. Headlines are added nightly from public feeds; only titles and links are stored.
Headlines link to the original publisher. Brandtree does not reproduce article text.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Trader Joe's?
The parent company of Trader Joe's is Aldi Nord, a family-owned company headquartered in Germany.
Is Trader Joe's owned by Aldi Süd?
No. Trader Joe's is owned by Aldi Nord, not Aldi Süd.
Is Trader Joe's American or German?
Trader Joe's originated in the United States in 1967, but it is owned today by Aldi Nord, which is headquartered in Germany. So Trader Joe's is an American-origin brand under German ownership.
Since when has Aldi Nord owned Trader Joe's?
Aldi Nord has owned Trader Joe's since 1979.
Who owned Trader Joe's before Aldi Nord?
Trader Joe's was an independent company from its founding in 1967 in Pasadena, California until Aldi Nord acquired it in 1979.
Is Trader Joe's still owned by Aldi Nord?
Yes. As of 6 September 2026, Trader Joe's is still owned by Aldi Nord. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Aldi Nord — company information — Aldi Einkauf SE & Co. oHG, Official document; retrieved 6 September 2026.
Report a correction Opens a pre-filled GitHub issue. See our corrections policy.