Coborn's, Inc. Timeline

Humble beginnings quickly grew into a grassroots, employee-owned grocery store expansion. Learn about the journey bringing us to our 100th year and beyond.

1921	Chester Coborn, town mayor and known as “Happy Coborn,” opens the first Coborn’s Inc. grocery store in the landmark Bell Building in Sauk Rapids. He had previously operated feed, mercantile and grocery stores that he closed.
1925	Coborn’' moves to a marquee location on Broadway Avenue in Sauk Rapids and breaks conventions by bringing produce, traditionally established as a separate business at the time into the grocery store.
1929	Chester's sons, Chester C. “Chet” and Duke, take over after their father dies.
1930	Chet and Duke move the grocery store to a larger space across the street. The store extends credit to all customers during the Great Depression and asks them to pay their bills as resources became available.
1935	Chet leaves the business and opens a resort on Leech Lake in northern Minnesota.
1936	Duke adds a meat market to the store, a first for the region.
1939	The store introduces uniforms in the store, olive green shirts with red embroidered lettering.
1942	The store completes major expansion that doubles double store's size.
1952	The store adopts the “cash and carry” concept.
1957	The company is incorporated after Duke has a heart attack.
1959	1959 Duke's four sons - Bob, Dan, Bill, and Ron - take over the business after their father's death.
1960	The four brothers begin developing growth strategy.
1963	The brothers buy the Red Owl grocery store in Foley, about 20 miles northeast of the original store in Sauk Rapids. They open a grocery store near St. Cloud State University campus on Fifth Avenue.
1967	Dan and Mabel Coborn become charter members of the Central Minnesota Chapter of United Way and begin company's legacy as a pacesetter for the community organization.
1970	The company’s first liquor store opens next to the Fifth Avenue store in St. Cloud in time for homecoming, connecting the two operations with a common lobby.
1972	Coborn's buys Chet's Town and Country in Willmar, 65 miles northwest of the company’s St. Cloud roots. It adds 6,000-square-feet for an adjoining liquor store and becomes the first grocery store in Minnesota to use scanning at front-end checkouts.
1974	Coborn’s opens its fifth store in a space formerly used by Piggly Wiggly in the small neighborhood strip mall in north St. Cloud known as “Centennial.” It opens the first free-standing liquor store, not accompanied by a grocery store, near Crossroads Mall in Waite Park. It builds a new Sauk Rapids store down the street from the original store and introduces scratch bakery, deli and a sausage kitchen. Don Wetter, who would later become CEO, joins as controller.
1977	Coborn’s opens a supermarket and liquor store in the Eastgate Mall in Little Falls.
1979	The company tests a discount warehouse format with a 30,000-square-foot store under the Cash Wise name in Willmar.
1981	Coborn's adds its first video stop, located in the new Sartell store. The grocery stores expand store hours and behin going to 24-hour operations over the next five years.
1982	The company builds a 50,000-square-foot Cash Wise Foods in Waite Park, opening before any of the big name big box retailers open in the market. The new liquor store replaces the free-standing liquor store.
1983	The company begins planning for construction of a new corporate office in East St. Cloud.
1984	The company builds larger Cash Wise store in Willmar and moves previously store to that location and begins plans to expand the Cash Wise brand. The company completes construction of a new corporate office in St. Cloud, renovating the former Elks Lodge building in East St. Cloud.
1985	The company expands out of Minnesota with its first Cash Wise store in Mason City, Iowa and tests a loyalty card program called Cash Wise Rewards.
1986	The company opens its first convenience store and named it Little Dukes in honor of Dan's father, Duke. The first in-store pharmacy opens, located in Cash Wise in Waite Park.
1987	The company builds a warehouse for merchandise next to corporate office. Dan Coborn earns Grocer of the Year from the Minnesota Grocers Association and names Don Wetter president.
1988	Cash Wise Foods expands to North Dakota with a new store in Fargo.
1991	The company opens the Central Bakery production facility.
1993	Coborn’s introduces the superstore concept with a new flagship store in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota
1994	The company adds banking when First American State Bank locates in Sauk Rapids store.
1995	The company unveils the first Natural Foods Department, initially in Cash Wise in Waite Park.
1996	The company acquires six Holiday grocery stores.
1999	Don Wetter becomes first non-family member to serve as CEO of the family-owned business that includes 23 grocery stores, 15 Little Dukes convenience stores, 14 liquor stores and 18 pharmacies. Dan’s son, Chris, becomes president. Cash Wise Foods in Hutchinson becomes a Cub Foods franchise. Customers are not happy with this change and volume drops dramatically. The store changes back to Cash Wise in January, 2000.
2001	The company adds Save-A-Lot brand to banners, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SUPERVALU Inc. that provides small store format focused on carrying a carefully selected assortment of the most popular grocery items. The company installs self-checkout lanes, initially in Albertville. The company also makes a landmark $3 million gift to CentraCare Health System to move medical and radiation oncology services from St. Cloud Hospital and CentraCare Clinic and create a customized cancer center in CentraCare Clinic to a customized care environment, named the Coborn Cancer Center. Chris Coborn receives the National Grocers Association’s “Spirit of America” award, honoring distinguished individuals for their active involvement and participation in community service and public affairs.
2002	Chris Coborn begins Grocer on the Green charity golf event to help children in cancer treatment. Later adds Food for the Cure program, where each vendor agrees to donate money to the Coborn Cancer Center for every product sold during an annual two-week period in May.
2006	Coborn's, Inc. becomes an ESOP with the adoption of the Employee Stock Ownership Plan, which makes employees co-owners of the company. The company adds a coffee shop, owned and operated by Caribou Coffee, in Elk River store. The company also adds its first walk-in medical clinic, operated by HealthPartners Central Minnesota Clinics.
2007	Chris Coborn named chief executive officer, becoming the fourth generation to lead the business that includes 6,000 employees with 33 Coborn's and Cash Wise Foods grocery stores in the in Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota and Iowa, along with pharmacies, convenience, liquor and video stores.
2008	CobornsDelivers is created when the company fully launches an online grocery business with the acquisition of SimonDelivers, an online grocer and home-delivery service based in the Twin Cities. Coborn’s renames it CobornsDelivers and made it a new division. Coborn’s also opens its first coffee shop, owned and operated by Coborn’s, in Sauk Rapids store.
2009	The company enters into an agreement to purchase two Cub Foods stores in St. Cloud and convert them to Cash Wise stores.
2012	The company enters a partnership to operate four existing stores and the Country Floral and Gifts floral shop in western North Dakota and announces plans to build five new stores in next two years, all under the Cash Wise banner. The company opens its first licensed Save-A-Lot in Minnesota.
2013	Coborn's first supermarket Registered Dietitian to help customers make healthier, more informed and more nutritious food choices.
2013	Coborn's acquires four Captain Jack's Liquor stores in Bismarck, North Dakota and continues to operate these locations under the Captain Jack’s banner.
2014	The company breaks ground for a new corporate office Support Center in St. Cloud, MN. Construction of the 91,000 square foot, three-story complex would provide a work environment conducive to productivity and efficiency.
2015	Coborn’s acquires four Marketplace Foods stores in Wisconsin, in the communities of Rice Lake, St. Croix Falls, Menomonie and Hayward and would continue to operate these locations under the Marketplace banner.
2016	First “next generation” Coborn’s store is constructed in Isanti, Minnesota with new-store concepts offering enhanced services and expansion of fresh products. To identify the new fresher offerings, the store is rebranded as Coborn’s Marketplace and paved the way for the next several new stores and remodeled stores to distinguish these locations.
2016	The company launches a new loyalty program called MORE Rewards, incentivizing customer loyalty with promotions, personalized offers and product discounts including fuel, liquor and pharmacy rewards. The completely digital program enables the customer to only need their phone number rather than carrying a membership card – one of the first companies in the country to launch a completely digital program with no physical card. To date, nearly 750,000 guests have enrolled in the program and they have redeemed over $15million in fuel savings earned from participating.
2017	Company Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Coborn is inducted into the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame, presented by Twin Cities Business Magazine. Chris represents the fourth generation of Coborn family leadership.
2018	First in-store popcorn shop opens at Hornbacher’s Gateway West location in Fargo, North Dakota with select Coborn’s and Marketplace stores subsequently adding this new feature.
2018	Dunn Brother’s Coffee opens at Coborn’s Cooper Avenue store in St. Cloud, Minnesota, the first of this coffee brand to operate in one of our stores.
2019	The first “next generation” Cash Wise Foods opens in North Bismarck, North Dakota with an adjoining Cash Wise Liquor store.
2019	The company revamps it’s e-commerce website and store support infrastructure to offer curbside pickup in all Coborn’s, Cash Wise and Marketplace Foods store locations for guests who shop online.
2019	Coborn’s acquires eight Hornbacher’s stores located in the cities of Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota and continues to operate under the Hornbacher’s banner.
2020	The company responds to a world-wide pandemic called COVID-19 by implementing many new safety protocols in the stores to keep stores open as an essential service for providing access to groceries and other essentials to the public. Plexiglass shields are installed at checkout lanes, ramped up cleaning protocols are implemented, social distancing signage is installed and employees and guests are wearing masks as a way to mitigate the spread of the deadly virus. For a short time, full service bakery, salad bars, delis and meat departments are all shut down to avoid contact with the virus. The first robotic salad maker, “Sally the Salad Robot” is introduced at Otsego’s Coborn’s Marketplace location, revolutionizing salad bars. Coborn’s acquires five Andy’s Liquor locations in Rochester, Minnesota and operates them independently under the Andy’s banner.
2021	The company begins administering the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccinations to customers and employees through its pharmacies following a 14 month worldwide pandemic.
2021	Coborn’s, Inc. celebrates its 100th Anniversary with a large four-week promotion called “Deals of the Century” as well as many other store and community events to commemorate the important milestone. The company is awarded the Midwest Retailer of the Year by grocery industry trade publication, The Shelby Report.
2021	The company celebrates the grand opening of Coborn’s Marketplace in Buffalo, MN. The store marks the 20th “next generation” store design to be introduced in the Coborn’s division.
2021	Coborn’s, Inc. announces partnership with Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) one of the nation’s largest cooperative food wholesales to independently owned supermarkets. Membership includes over 1,000 companies and 3,100 stores in 28 states.
2021	Coborn’s, Inc. acquires six Tadych’s Econofoods in northeastern Wisconsin and Michigan’s upper peninsula. The grocery stores operate under the Tadych’s Marketplace Foods banner. This is the company’s first expansion into the state of Michigan.
2022	Next-generation remodels continued with updated Cash Wise stores in Willmar, MN, Owatonna, MN, and Williston, ND.
2022	AWG fulfillment begins with center store grocery as well as for frozen and perishable merchandise to Coborn’s locations. A warehouse was built to accommodate distribution and strategically placed in St. Cloud, MN.
2022	Coborn’s introduces electronic shelf tags in a few select grocery stores. Each tag is battery powered with wireless capabilities and can adjust prices, photos, or QR codes instantly.
2023	The company acquires 11 Sullivan’s Foods grocery stores and several other retail business units in northern and central Illinois. The grocery stores continue to operate under the Sullivan’s Foods banner. This is Coborn’s, Inc. first expansion into Illinois.

1921

Chester Coborn, town mayor and known as “Happy Coborn,” opens the first Coborn’s Inc. grocery store in the landmark Bell Building in Sauk Rapids. He had previously operated feed, mercantile and grocery stores that he closed.

1925

Coborn’' moves to a marquee location on Broadway Avenue in Sauk Rapids and breaks conventions by bringing produce, traditionally established as a separate business at the time into the grocery store.

1929

Chester's sons, Chester C. “Chet” and Duke, take over after their father dies.

1930

Chet and Duke move the grocery store to a larger space across the street. The store extends credit to all customers during the Great Depression and asks them to pay their bills as resources became available.

1935

Chet leaves the business and opens a resort on Leech Lake in northern Minnesota.

1936

Duke adds a meat market to the store, a first for the region.

1939

The store introduces uniforms in the store, olive green shirts with red embroidered lettering.

1942

The store completes major expansion that doubles double store's size.

1952

The store adopts the “cash and carry” concept.

1957

The company is incorporated after Duke has a heart attack.

1959

1959 Duke's four sons - Bob, Dan, Bill, and Ron - take over the business after their father's death.

1960

The four brothers begin developing growth strategy.

1963

The brothers buy the Red Owl grocery store in Foley, about 20 miles northeast of the original store in Sauk Rapids. They open a grocery store near St. Cloud State University campus on Fifth Avenue.

1967

Dan and Mabel Coborn become charter members of the Central Minnesota Chapter of United Way and begin company's legacy as a pacesetter for the community organization.

1970

The company’s first liquor store opens next to the Fifth Avenue store in St. Cloud in time for homecoming, connecting the two operations with a common lobby.

1972

Coborn's buys Chet's Town and Country in Willmar, 65 miles northwest of the company’s St. Cloud roots. It adds 6,000-square-feet for an adjoining liquor store and becomes the first grocery store in Minnesota to use scanning at front-end checkouts.

1974

Coborn’s opens its fifth store in a space formerly used by Piggly Wiggly in the small neighborhood strip mall in north St. Cloud known as “Centennial.”

It opens the first free-standing liquor store, not accompanied by a grocery store, near Crossroads Mall in Waite Park. It builds a new Sauk Rapids store down the street from the original store and introduces scratch bakery, deli and a sausage kitchen. Don Wetter, who would later become CEO, joins as controller.

1977

Coborn’s opens a supermarket and liquor store in the Eastgate Mall in Little Falls.

1979

The company tests a discount warehouse format with a 30,000-square-foot store under the Cash Wise name in Willmar.

1981

Coborn's adds its first video stop, located in the new Sartell store. The grocery stores expand store hours and behin going to 24-hour operations over the next five years.

1982

The company builds a 50,000-square-foot Cash Wise Foods in Waite Park, opening before any of the big name big box retailers open in the market. The new liquor store replaces the free-standing liquor store.

1983

The company begins planning for construction of a new corporate office in East St. Cloud.

1984

The company builds larger Cash Wise store in Willmar and moves previously store to that location and begins plans to expand the Cash Wise brand.

The company completes construction of a new corporate office in St. Cloud, renovating the former Elks Lodge building in East St. Cloud.

1985

The company expands out of Minnesota with its first Cash Wise store in Mason City, Iowa and tests a loyalty card program called Cash Wise Rewards.

1986

The company opens its first convenience store and named it Little Dukes in honor of Dan's father, Duke.

The first in-store pharmacy opens, located in Cash Wise in Waite Park.

1987

The company builds a warehouse for merchandise next to corporate office. Dan Coborn earns Grocer of the Year from the Minnesota Grocers Association and names Don Wetter president.

1988

Cash Wise Foods expands to North Dakota with a new store in Fargo.

1991

The company opens the Central Bakery production facility.

1993

Coborn’s introduces the superstore concept with a new flagship store in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota

1994

The company adds banking when First American State Bank locates in Sauk Rapids store.

1995

The company unveils the first Natural Foods Department, initially in Cash Wise in Waite Park.

1996

The company acquires six Holiday grocery stores.

1999

Don Wetter becomes first non-family member to serve as CEO of the family-owned business that includes 23 grocery stores, 15 Little Dukes convenience stores, 14 liquor stores and 18 pharmacies. Dan’s son, Chris, becomes president.

Cash Wise Foods in Hutchinson becomes a Cub Foods franchise. Customers are not happy with this change and volume drops dramatically. The store changes back to Cash Wise in January, 2000.

2001

The company adds Save-A-Lot brand to banners, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SUPERVALU Inc. that provides small store format focused on carrying a carefully selected assortment of the most popular grocery items. The company installs self-checkout lanes, initially in Albertville. The company also makes a landmark $3 million gift to CentraCare Health System to move medical and radiation oncology services from St. Cloud Hospital and CentraCare Clinic and create a customized cancer center in CentraCare Clinic to a customized care environment, named the Coborn Cancer Center. Chris Coborn receives the National Grocers Association’s “Spirit of America” award, honoring distinguished individuals for their active involvement and participation in community service and public affairs.

2002

Chris Coborn begins Grocer on the Green charity golf event to help children in cancer treatment. Later adds Food for the Cure program, where each vendor agrees to donate money to the Coborn Cancer Center for every product sold during an annual two-week period in May.

2006

Coborn's, Inc. becomes an ESOP with the adoption of the Employee Stock Ownership Plan, which makes employees co-owners of the company. The company adds a coffee shop, owned and operated by Caribou Coffee, in Elk River store. The company also adds its first walk-in medical clinic, operated by HealthPartners Central Minnesota Clinics.

2007

Chris Coborn named chief executive officer, becoming the fourth generation to lead the business that includes 6,000 employees with 33 Coborn's and Cash Wise Foods grocery stores in the in Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota and Iowa, along with pharmacies, convenience, liquor and video stores.

2008

CobornsDelivers is created when the company fully launches an online grocery business with the acquisition of SimonDelivers, an online grocer and home-delivery service based in the Twin Cities. Coborn’s renames it CobornsDelivers and made it a new division. Coborn’s also opens its first coffee shop, owned and operated by Coborn’s, in Sauk Rapids store.

2009

The company enters into an agreement to purchase two Cub Foods stores in St. Cloud and convert them to Cash Wise stores.

2012

The company enters a partnership to operate four existing stores and the Country Floral and Gifts floral shop in western North Dakota and announces plans to build five new stores in next two years, all under the Cash Wise banner.

The company opens its first licensed Save-A-Lot in Minnesota.

2013

Coborn's first supermarket Registered Dietitian to help customers make healthier, more informed and more nutritious food choices.

2013

Coborn's acquires four Captain Jack's Liquor stores in Bismarck, North Dakota and continues to operate these locations under the Captain Jack’s banner.

2014

The company breaks ground for a new corporate office Support Center in St. Cloud, MN. Construction of the 91,000 square foot, three-story complex would provide a work environment conducive to productivity and efficiency.

2015

Coborn’s acquires four Marketplace Foods stores in Wisconsin, in the communities of Rice Lake, St. Croix Falls, Menomonie and Hayward and would continue to operate these locations under the Marketplace banner.

2016

First “next generation” Coborn’s store is constructed in Isanti, Minnesota with new-store concepts offering enhanced services and expansion of fresh products. To identify the new fresher offerings, the store is rebranded as Coborn’s Marketplace and paved the way for the next several new stores and remodeled stores to distinguish these locations.

2016

The company launches a new loyalty program called MORE Rewards, incentivizing customer loyalty with promotions, personalized offers and product discounts including fuel, liquor and pharmacy rewards. The completely digital program enables the customer to only need their phone number rather than carrying a membership card – one of the first companies in the country to launch a completely digital program with no physical card. To date, nearly 750,000 guests have enrolled in the program and they have redeemed over $15million in fuel savings earned from participating.

2017

Company Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Coborn is inducted into the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame, presented by Twin Cities Business Magazine. Chris represents the fourth generation of Coborn family leadership.

2018

First in-store popcorn shop opens at Hornbacher’s Gateway West location in Fargo, North Dakota with select Coborn’s and Marketplace stores subsequently adding this new feature.

2018

Dunn Brother’s Coffee opens at Coborn’s Cooper Avenue store in St. Cloud, Minnesota, the first of this coffee brand to operate in one of our stores.

2019

The first “next generation” Cash Wise Foods opens in North Bismarck, North Dakota with an adjoining Cash Wise Liquor store.

2019

The company revamps it’s e-commerce website and store support infrastructure to offer curbside pickup in all Coborn’s, Cash Wise and Marketplace Foods store locations for guests who shop online.

2019

Coborn’s acquires eight Hornbacher’s stores located in the cities of Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota and continues to operate under the Hornbacher’s banner.

2020

The company responds to a world-wide pandemic called COVID-19 by implementing many new safety protocols in the stores to keep stores open as an essential service for providing access to groceries and other essentials to the public. Plexiglass shields are installed at checkout lanes, ramped up cleaning protocols are implemented, social distancing signage is installed and employees and guests are wearing masks as a way to mitigate the spread of the deadly virus. For a short time, full service bakery, salad bars, delis and meat departments are all shut down to avoid contact with the virus.

The first robotic salad maker, “Sally the Salad Robot” is introduced at Otsego’s Coborn’s Marketplace location, revolutionizing salad bars.

Coborn’s acquires five Andy’s Liquor locations in Rochester, Minnesota and operates them independently under the Andy’s banner.

2021

The company begins administering the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccinations to customers and employees through its pharmacies following a 14 month worldwide pandemic.

2021

Coborn’s, Inc. celebrates its 100th Anniversary with a large four-week promotion called “Deals of the Century” as well as many other store and community events to commemorate the important milestone.

The company is awarded the Midwest Retailer of the Year by grocery industry trade publication, The Shelby Report.

2021

The company celebrates the grand opening of Coborn’s Marketplace in Buffalo, MN. The store marks the 20th “next generation” store design to be introduced in the Coborn’s division.

2021

Coborn’s, Inc. announces partnership with Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) one of the nation’s largest cooperative food wholesales to independently owned supermarkets. Membership includes over 1,000 companies and 3,100 stores in 28 states.

2021

Coborn’s, Inc. acquires six Tadych’s Econofoods in northeastern Wisconsin and Michigan’s upper peninsula. The grocery stores operate under the Tadych’s Marketplace Foods banner. This is the company’s first expansion into the state of Michigan.

2022

Next-generation remodels continued with updated Cash Wise stores in Willmar, MN, Owatonna, MN, and Williston, ND.

2022

AWG fulfillment begins with center store grocery as well as for frozen and perishable merchandise to Coborn’s locations. A warehouse was built to accommodate distribution and strategically placed in St. Cloud, MN.

2022

Coborn’s introduces electronic shelf tags in a few select grocery stores. Each tag is battery powered with wireless capabilities and can adjust prices, photos, or QR codes instantly.

2023

The company acquires 11 Sullivan’s Foods grocery stores and several other retail business units in northern and central Illinois. The grocery stores continue to operate under the Sullivan’s Foods banner. This is Coborn’s, Inc. first expansion into Illinois.

Coborn's, Inc. Timeline

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