Here’s how Trader Joe’s become the king of cult-favorite snacks

For many, a trip to Trader Joe’s is more than just a chore or a quick, mid-week grocery run. Instead, it’s a highly awaited affair at their favorite place on Earth — where aisles of both tried-and-trusted goodies and new offerings are beckoning to be bought.  

Perhaps we can call this Trader Joe’s stan culture. Over the years, the California-based retailer — which first opened in 1967 by founder Joe Coulombe — has acquired a loyal fanbase who swear by their products. Some call themselves “Trader Hoes” (it’s quite clever if you ask me) while others prefer the simple title “Trader Joe’s Fans.” Even celebrities are major fans of Trader Joe’s; Hillary Duff, for one, is “obsessed” with the brand’s egg-white salad.

Most of the appeal of Trader Joe’s stems from its snacks, which have the power to spur disagreements amongst consumers or spark great grief, especially when they are on the verge of discontinuation.

In fact, out of all the things that Trader Joe’s has to offer, its snacks get the most praise. Take for example Trader Joe’s Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips, a gentrified rendition of classic Takis. Last year, when rumors said that the retailer was planning on discontinuing the beloved snacks, loyal fans on Reddit rallied against the move by creating a petition to keep Trader Joe’s from removing the chips from their store shelves.

“My kid is begging for the chili lime corn chips. Are they discontinued or on backorder?” asked user u/ApprehensiveTwist3 in a post from three months ago. “If they have been discontinued, where are the petitions?” In a separate post, user u/iwillneverreadthiscr said, “I already cannot find them in NYC and I’m gutted about it… GUTTED!” while another user, u/Hot-Cheetah-4592, wrote, “dude i just found out about this today and fell to my knees in the store.”

In anticipation of summer, Trader Joe’s revealed that it will be bringing back seven old products to its stores amid the next few weeks. A few noteworthy items include the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, which will taste more like a roasted red pepper relish rather than hummus; Tangerine Cream Bars, the luscious and citrusy frozen treat; Ube Mochi, which is ube ice cream wrapped in a sweet glutinous rice; and Organic Sugar Cones, because ice cream is best enjoyed with a cone.

As expected, the recent announcement was met with nothing but excitement. On Reddit, fans celebrated the return of the brand’s Strawberry Lemonade Joe-Joe’s, which are essentially two lemon-flavored wafer cookies with a strawberry smooth crème filling.

“I loved these jojos. I’m ecstatic that they’re back!” wrote user u/Amazaline. Others, like user u/superjudy1 were shocked to hear that the cookies have already made their comeback (“Omg these are back?!?!” they wrote).

This great fascination with Trader Joe’s snacks is a phenomenon specific to Trader Joe’s and Trader Joe’s only. The same level of enthusiasm hasn’t been awarded for other mid-level chain grocers, whether that’s Aldi and Whole Foods or Kroger and Publix. As explained by CNBC’s Catherine Clifford, there’s a whole formula behind Trader Joe’s madness.

Part of that equation is Trader Joe’s ability to sell knockoffs of major brand name products for cheaper prices. After all, Trader Joe’s is owned by German grocery giant Aldi Nord, meaning most of their products are manufactured by one company and then sold under the Trader Joe’s brand.

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But Trader Joe’s is also exceptionally good at selling these knockoffs without skimping on their original flavors. There’s Joe-Joe’s, which is Trader Joe’s rendition of Oreos. Many shoppers have claimed that the former are significantly sweeter than their classic sandwich cookie cousins. But despite that, both cookies are practically identical in nature — two wafer cookies with creme filling in the middle. There’s also Trader Joe’s Mango 100% Juice Smoothie, which has identical ingredients to Naked’s Mighty Mango Fruit Smoothie.

Knowing that, it makes sense why shoppers are such major fans of Trader Joe’s snacks. All they need in order to be enticed are lower price tags and classic flavors. And, unlike most comparable grocery chains, Trader Joe’s is the one who’s delivering them both flawlessly.

It’s also worth noting that many of these classic snacks spur nostalgia amongst consumers. So, there’s an emotional aspect of enjoying Trader Joe’s snacks. All in all, it’s the lower price tags, the classic flavors and the nostalgia that is the secret behind Trader Joe’s cult-favorite snacks. It’s also the secret behind Trader Joe’s overall success as it continues to be ahead of the curve.