There’s really a Trader Joe, and his name is Joe Coloumbe. At a talk given for the California Association of Winegrape Growers, the man behind Trader Joe’s told how the Little Ice Age turned Northern Europeans into beer and liquor drinkers, which led to a culture of non-wine drinkers in the United States. He went onto discuss the effects of climate changes and the weak dollar on the wine industry. Finally he came to the topic of how Trader Joe’s, the store, had its start. He originally targeted customers with college degrees, giving them a huge selection of alcoholic beverages (“100 Bourbons, 50 Scotches and the world’s largest assortment of California wines”). The stores appealed particularly to the “over-educated and underpaid.” Well-priced gourmet food items were added, but the store originally built itself on the sale of wine. (via eGullet weekend update)