Inside Trader Joe's – Details, episodes & analysis

When we think about back-to-school, we immediately think of chocolate and mustard. (Doesn’t everyone?) Specifically, we think of Belgian chocolate and Dijon Mustard. Just in time for back-to-school shopping – as well as classes like History, Geography, Chemistry, and Culinary Arts – this episode of Inside Trader Joe’s takes you to the source of these longtime favorites. Travel along with us as we go inside a chocolate factory – outside Brussels – talking to the folks who make some of our favorite chocolate (we’re looking at you, Pound Plus Bars!); and to the very (aromatic) room where the mustard magic happens, getting the inside scoop on how Dijon, France came to be home of the world’s most iconic mustard. 

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Do you ever feel like you’re hearing things when you’re shopping at Trader Joe’s? You’re not alone. The bells are ringing at Trader Joe’s – nearly all the time. They act as a kind of intercom system, and they keep us attuned to what’s happening in the store. Ever wonder what they mean? Come on, ring those bells, and tune in to the latest in our series of bite-sized episodes, ITJ ICYMI, to get the scoop.

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There are things that tie every Trader Joe’s together – delicious products, terrific everyday prices, and phenomenal Crew Members to name a few. Yet every store is also different. How can they all be different? That’s easy – we’re a neighborhood grocery store, and every store is in a unique neighborhood. The Crew reflects the neighborhood, the layout of the store reflects the neighborhood, and there are often signs and murals that reflect the neighborhood. Our store in Providence, Rhode Island is a great neighborhood store, with lots of only-in-Providence features to celebrate – let’s go, Parcel six!

In this episode of Inside Trader Joe’s, we’re going both inside and outside our store in Providence, Rhode Island, to get up close and personal with this quintessential neighborhood store.  

If you're in Providence, check out the store and their one-of-a-kind mural in person. And if you're not in Providence, you can check out images of their gorgeous mural in the images below, courtesy of The Avenue Concept. And click here for more information about the mural and its incorporation of Providence's history. Good stuff, indeed! 

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The votes are in, and the time has come to reveal the winners of the 15th Annual Trader Joe’s Customer Choice Awards! (Can we stop for a moment to consider that this is the 15th Annual Customer Choice Awards? Seriously, we never saw this coming…)

We’ve changed things up a bit this year, adding a couple of new categories for consideration – and that’s resulted in some new products in the winners’ circle. Excellent! Get ready for a (not-so) surprising upset in the Bath, Body & Home category and a delicious discussion of your favorite Breakfast & Brunch options. We even have some sneak peeks at a few new products, coming soon, that could just find their way on to the Awards stage next year…

Click here for the complete list of winners.

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Year’s end is a wonderful time for remembrances and reflections… it’s also an excellent time (some may say the best time) for toasting to what’s to come, for raising a glass to a hopeful future. We’ll drink to that! And we can’t think of a better drink for that toast than La Burgondie Crémant de Bourgogne, a crisp and easy-drinking sparkling wine from the Burgundy region of France. In this episode of Inside Trader Joe’s, we take you inside the winery where this stellar sparkler is styled, and we get the inside story of how this classic Crémant is crafted, directly from the winemaker. We hope you’ll join us on this idyllic journey to a most magical place, just in time to ring in the New Year.

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When the holliest and jolliest of holiday seasons is on the agenda, Trader Joe’s should absolutely be on your list of must-visits. In this episode, we celebrate some of the best we have to offer this holiday season. Danish cookies and delightfully decorated pretzels; candles redolent of chocolate croissants and 12 Days of Beauty to make your skin and spirit shine; cinnamon bun inspired coffee accoutrements and baking mixes… and SO. MUCH. MORE. To make your season merry and bright, have a listen, then, with a Jingle and a Jangle, pay a visit to your neighborhood Trader Joe’s.

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In this mini episode of Inside Trader Joe’s, we spend just a few minutes with our Chairman and CEO, Bryan Palbaum, and our Vice CEO and President, Jon Basalone, to talk about the things we’re thankful for this year. Friends, family, customers, Crew Members, favorite products being in-stock… And thanks to you, as always, for listening.

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Before most of the world has even packed away its holiday decorations, Trader Joe’s is busy developing new products for the following year’s holiday season. How do we decide which products you’ll see in stores during the holidays? Our Tasting Panel is at the heart of it, and in this episode of Inside Trader Joe’s, we’re taking you inside the Holiday Tasting Panel, a days-long event where our product developers put forth their best ideas for future holiday fare, and The Panel tastes and questions and ponders… and ultimately comes to consensus on which products will fill our shelves in the holiday season ahead. As an added bonus, we revisit the origins of one of our most beloved holiday sweet treats – Jingle Jangle – and chat with suppliers making a couple of this year’s new creations.

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You can see what’s in a product just by looking at the ingredient listing on the package. What you might not know is that Trader Joe’s has a long list of ingredients we don’t use in our products. There are reasons we use certain things, and reasons we don’t use other things. What’s what, and more importantly, why? Tune in to the latest in our series of bite-sized episodes, ITJ ICYMI, to get the scoop.

 Transcript (PDF)

Are you ready to fall in love? With fabulous faves like Fall Harvest Salsa and Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese? Or maybe new, destined-to-be-faves like Mini Maple Marshmallows or Maple Fudge? (Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention some returning Maple marvels as well.) This fall-forward episode of Inside Trader Joe’s is a harbinger of the season, and a surefire way to whet your appetite for all things cozy and comforting. Honeycrisp Apple Granola? Wicked Good Mini Chocolate Bars? (Yes!) Have a listen, and have a pencil ready… you’re going to want to make a list of your own!

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