Today’s NY Times included this passage about how the food tasters at Trader Joe’s decide on what to buy for the store.
“The pasta buyer had boiled up six different Italian brands of whole-grain pasta and tossed them in plain olive oil.
The group fell silent and began chewing intently. Immediately, comments flew. “Interesting nutty flavors on No. 1.” … “This one has a cardboardy texture at the end.” … “What about the omega-3′s on this one?” Eventually, a favorite was determined by a show of hands and a plan sketched for the step ahead: persuading the supplier to make refinements and solve problems.
Next, aged goat cheeses. Then truffled cheeses. (“Like dirty socks.” … “I think people want to see those black flecks.” … “I worry that we’re just too far ahead of the curve with these.”) Toasted walnuts, then granola clusters. (“How are these not cookies?” the house nutritionist asked.) And finally a new category: trail-mix-based cereals. The group poured milk and chewed. “I am not happy to get a whole almond in my bowl of cereal,” one said forcefully.
That kind of passionate, focused attention to food is clearly sensed by Trader Joe’s customers. “This sounds crazy, but you feel like the company likes food even more than they like money,” said Marcy Benfiglio, who lives near the branch in Larchmont, N.Y. “You don’t feel that at the supermarket.”
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