We Asked Trader Joe's If It'll Ever Come To Canada — The Response Gave Us Some Hope

Trader Joe's made its first appearance back in Pasadena, California in 1967 and has since expanded to over 500 grocery stores across the United States… and the question asked by practically every Canadian who has set foot in one is: what about Canada?

While grocery store expansion can be a complex project, opening new locations in a different country is an entirely different ballgame. But that doesn't mean it's impossible. Although Trader Joe's has no Canadian locations (as of yet), that doesn't mean Joe won't ever make his mark across the True North.

MTL Blog spoke with Nakia Rohde, public relations manager for Trader Joe's regarding a possible expansion to Canada and their response gave us a little bit of hope.

"Our plans at this time only include stores in the contiguous United States. However, we are continuing to grow and open more stores every year," Rohde said.

That's correct: the response was not a categorical no, and did not include the words "never," "not until hell freezes over" or "not in your lifetime." So, while Trader Joe's remains a U.S. staple, for now, possible locations across Canada aren't totally off the table.

(And perhaps our journalistic inquisitiveness will be the catalyst for TJ's eventual decision to find a way to set up shop up here?)

For the time being, you can grab your passports, and your best pal and drive 90 minutes down to South Burlington, VT, where you can get your hands on loads of Trader Joe's snacks.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.