Trader Joe’s secretly launched a YouTube channel two weeks ago and it’s as charming and neighborly as you’d expect.
The grocery chain took to YouTube like a grandfather with a cool hobby (and patient grandchildren to help out with the “computer stuff”), but do not expect to see any glossy production or celebrity chefs plugging Trader Joe’s products. Instead, picture a guy with a sunburnt face, a wise beard, and a loud Hawaiian shirt. He owns a grocery store or two and his name is Joe. Welcome to his YouTube channel.
While most of the videos currently on the channel are Trader Joe’s podcasts, there’s plenty of other content that offers a glimpse into how Trader Joe’s branded products are made and prepared. These videos range from the charmingly lo-fi to outrageously wacky tributes to things like celery.
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The first video, from April 23rd, introduces us to the grocery store that needs no introduction. It tells us that Trader Joe’s is about quality products and stellar service, but we know that already: “Thanks for listening!”
There are no informative voice overs and you won’t learn any specifics about where the ingredients are from, but that’s what the labels are for. What you will get is a cute rockabilly soundtrack that plays over footage of coffee beans being dumped into huge machines and cold brew being sprayed into the bottles. Think Food Network’s Unwrapped, sans host, plus Beach Boys instrumentals.
If you need help figuring out how to serve their Broccoli & Kale Salad Kit, here’s a tutorial. Here is a genius recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala Burritos. Also enjoy the majorly trippy aforementioned video about celery, which notes that “at Trader Joe’s, we can’t stop thinking about celery,” while images of celery stalks bounce across the screen. The narrator goes on to tell a questionable-yet-believable history of celery with random guitar solo breaks. At some point, the word “Synergy” fills the screen.
From the vaults, we get past video collaborations between Trader Joe’s and major magazines. Like a series of videos with Bon Appetit, where Trader Joe’s puppet mascot, The Fearless Flyer made its first and last appearance to date. A third video, in collaboration with Condé Nast Traveler, walks us through German Christmas markets.
There is one interesting quirk: The grocery store chain that lets its employees spill the beans and speak their minds and has a relatively quiet PR team has, for some reason, disabled viewers from commenting on its videos.
Since we can’t comment in the videos, sound off below. What do you think of these videos?