Who owns Trader Joe's?
Trader Joe's is owned by Aldi Nord (Germany), which has owned the brand since 1979.[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Aldi Nord — company information, Aldi Einkauf SE & Co. oHG. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Aldi Einkauf SE & Co. oHG (Aldi Nord) reported
- Owned since
- 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 →
See the full Aldi Nord brand portfolio (2) →
Other brands owned by Aldi Nord
Aldi Nord controls 2 brands on Brandtree, 2 of them in food.
Also in food
- Aldi (Nord) (1946)
Other brands in canned & shelf-stable meals, and who owns them
The 74 brands in canned & shelf-stable meals on Brandtree belong to 43 owners. The largest is Thai Union, with 13; Aldi Nord has 2.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken of the Sea | Thai Union | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| Albert Heijn | Ahold Delhaize | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
| Bonduelle | Bonduelle | 🇫🇷 France |
| Heinz Baked Beans | Kraft Heinz | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Aunt Nellie's | Seneca Foods | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Aldi (Süd) | Aldi Süd | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| 365 by Whole Foods Market | Amazon | 🇺🇸 United States |
| 555 | Century Pacific | 🇵🇭 Philippines |
About the owner: Aldi Nord
Aldi Nord is a family-owned company headquartered in Essen, Germany, founded in 1961. Brandtree records 2 brands under its control.
Aldi Nord is one of the two halves of the discount chain the Albrecht brothers split in 1961, reportedly after an argument about whether to sell cigarettes. It operates in northern Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Portugal and Denmark, and owns Trader Joe's in the United States.
🇺🇸 Trader Joe's and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,549 brands that began in the United States. 478 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Trader Joe's among them.
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.
Is Trader Joe's still owned by Aldi Nord?
Yes. As of 16 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 16 September 2026.
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