Our History

“ Coborn's Golden Rule — treat all with dignity and respect ”

In 2014, we published the book, “Behind the Store Shelves” that tells the history of the Coborn's family of grocery stores, from its humble beginnings as a little produce market on Benton Drive in Sauk Rapids, through 2014, evolving into a much larger retailer, operating 59 grocery stores and many other business units. That was seven years ago and much has changed in that time. So, true to the continued foray into the digital world, we present an updated digital version of “Beyond the Store Shelves” in this special 100 year commemorative website.

Here, you will find some updates to the original book, as well as an expanded new content that updates the company history to 2021, the year we celebrate our 100th Anniversary. We hope you will enjoy reading about the many chapters of our history, as much as we've enjoyed reminiscing about the many special friends, family and folks we've met along the way.

Introduction

For five generations, members of the Coborn family have been meeting the needs of our community for groceries and so much more.

Since the family planted roots in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, Coborn men and women have propagated and nurtured a vision driven by values, grounded in a concern for the broader community. Read more »

Chapter 1: Meet the Coborn Family

Leadership, community and retail have long been a tradition of the Coborn family. For decades, the Coborns have been recognized as pioneers. But it was in the mid-1800s with Chester R. Coborn where that legacy began. Nestled in a small, modest home not far from the northern banks of the Mississippi River, and just up the road from the storefront that would later adorn the family name, Chester established the family’s roots in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, and was among the town’s first settlers in the 1850s. Read more »

Chapter 2: Becoming the Coborn’s company

While not always easy, Chester A. Coborn appreciated the grocery business and the connection it provided him to his local community. He enjoyed the personal conversations and the opportunity to provide his neighbors the goods they needed at reasonable prices. So, in 1921, he returned to the Bell Building, Sauk Rapids’ oldest landmark, and opened Coborn’s grocery store. Read more »

Chapter 3: War, Rations & Recovery

During its first two decades in business, Coborn’s expanded in size and selection beyond what was common for grocers at the time. The growth and changes were driven as much by economic necessity and survival as it was the Coborn’s family commitment to ingenuity. With the Great Depression ending and families regaining their footing, Duke initiated plans for a major expansion in 1941... Read more »

Chapter 4: Expansion Begins

The Coborn brothers began their leadership of the family business during a decade marked by the Vietnam War, social revolution and consumer activism. The decade would later become known as the “golden years” in the grocery industry with soaring sales. The birth rate had been rising and grocery store sales outpaced the baby boom generation by nearly three times. Read more »

Chapter 5: Taking on Big Box

The decisions were becoming fast and frequent at Coborn’s. The brothers began to develop a philosophy of fast-thinking and light-footed decisions. It would later allow them to thrive and become one of the most progressive independent grocery chains in the nation. But in the 1970s, it meant taking on varying tasks and making decisions before they had all the answers or knew where the path would lead. Read more »

Chapter 6: Determined to Diversify

Changing consumer habits and more women in the workforce triggered significant changes in the grocery industry in the 1980s. Stores not only got bigger, but also offered more services focused on providing one-stop shopping for customers. More competitors sought the grocery store dollar and Coborn’s responded with a diversified portfolio and bold moves to deliver customers more convenience and value. Read more »

Chapter 7: Outpacing the Competition

In the midst of growing stores and soaring sales, Coborn’s initiated a thorough self-evaluation. Leaders wanted to better understand how customers, and non-customers, viewed the stores. Why did they choose to shop at Coborn’s – or somewhere else? What role did products featured in the weekly ads play in them deciding to visit a store? Read more »

Chapter 8: Doing Good

Store design, services and size changed dramatically as Coborn’s grew into a major independent retailer in the 1990s. By 1999 when Don Wetter became CEO, Coborn’s had blossomed to 23 grocery stores, 15 Little Dukes convenience stores, 14 liquor stores and 18 pharmacies. In the midst of growth and new opportunities, the Coborn’s business and family never wavered from the company’s... Read more »

Chapter 9: Ownership Culture

As much as the Coborns focus on the communities they serve, they focus on the people who help them get the job done.For Chris and so many Coborns, family means so much more than having the same last name. Like his father, Chris grew up in the family grocery business, spending more personal time with the company’s employees than most people do with their own family members. Read more »

Chapter 10: Think Outside the Brick

At the turn of the 21st century, the business climate crunched and crippled many independent grocers. Even some of the largest independent retailers in the nation gave up the fight by 2000, signing purchase agreements with grocer giants. Safeway bought Genuardi's, a family-owned chain of supermarkets in the northeastern United States. Read more »

Chapter 11: Taking to the Wild West

Since taking the helm as CEO, Chris Coborn has shown he is bold, progressive, daring, inventive and entrepreneurial – and more than anything, visionary. Chris embraces change and takes calculated risks. He is a trailblazer who takes the unchartered path to reap great rewards. Read more »

Chapter 12: Fast Forward

So, what will the next generation of the business look like? It’s a question Coborn’s leaders have been asking since Duke took over the first store in 1929. The business does not take family blood. It takes passion, visionary leaders and an ability to lead in a change-driven industry. Read more »

BEHIND THE STORE SHELVES - Updated Digital Edition

By William “Bill” Drake
Member of the Coborn’s Board of Directors and Former Faculty, Senior Extension Associate and Director of Executive Education, Food industry Management Program at Cornell University.

It is only fitting that the updated edition of the original Coborn’s history book, “Behind the Store Shelves,” be published in 2021 in an “digital version,” as this year marks... Read more »

Chapter 13: The Legacy of Dan Coborn

Dan Coborn, former chairman, president and CEO had passed away in March of 2017. Having led the company for a greater part of the 20th century, Dan served Coborn’s, Inc. as its chief executive from the late 1950s until 1999. With great sorrow, family, friends and employees reminisced about his grand presence within the community and the legacy he left behind. Read more »

Chapter 14: Next Generation Stores

Staying Innovative in Today’s Market:
In 2015, the next-generation concept came to fruition as the company adapted to how shoppers were gravitating towards healthier and fresher products. That shift, along with a desire to offer more unique items ushered in a business model for the next generation of stores. Read more »

Chapter 15: CSC - Coborn’s Support Center

Company builds a support center for the future:
Coborn’s, Inc. has grown exponentially from a one room market to multiple locations in a four-state region. Corporate office employees that support the company’s retail locations outgrew the modest offices on the East Side campus which created a need for a new building to better suit the company’s needs. Read more »

Chapter 16: Brand Promises

Executional Excellence:
Providing an excellent shopping experience is fundamental to maintainig customer loyalty in a highly competitive marketplace. Coborn's, Inc. differentiates itself in the grocery retailer market by providing the freshest foods and the friendliest service... Read more »

Chapter 17: Pandemic Response

Supermarket Employees Become Heroes In A Worldwide Pandemic:
In December 2019, an unknown virus began surfacing in a Chinese seafood and poultry market. At the time, little was known about the coronavirus, exactly where it may have started or how it spread. Read more »

Chapter 18: Our People

One Remarkable Team:
We take a team approach at Coborn’s, Inc., and believe it takes remarkable people to make a remarkable organization. So much of what makes the company so successful are the dedicated employees who work behind the scenes. From our distribution center, centralized bake shoppe, trucking and logistics, I.T. department and customer relations call center, central pharmacy... Read more »