Can Local Grocery Stores Become International Chains? – 2

Those who know me, or have read my previous articles, know that when I comment on business and economic topics, I frequently refer to history and often give examples, particularly from military matters or events. This is because the competition between states and nations, and military struggles, have contributed enormously to human progress in nearly every field. I observe that the general public often fails to grasp the essence of history and historical figures due to the short texts or videos embedded in popular culture. Like many leaders in our own history, the French general (later Emperor) Napoleon Bonaparte was an extremely important figure. Contrary to popular belief, what made him a military genius was not just his skillful use of the era’s most devastating weapons, such as field artillery; he discovered that “wars are won not only with tactical plans but also through organization and logistics.” You might wonder what Napoleon has to do with chain supermarkets. (In my previous article, many readers appreciated the historical digressions, which motivated me to delve even deeper into the historical context.)

The 13 American colonies’ tax revolt against England took a decisive turn with the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Driven by resentment over its defeat in the Seven Years’ War, which ended in 1763, the Kingdom of France, the Spanish Empire in 1779, and the Netherlands in 1780, siding with the American colonies, the American people’s struggle for independence against England had turned into an international war. Twenty years after the treaty that ended the Seven Years’ War, which the French had influenced at the time, on September 3, 1783, with the peace treaty that went down in history as the Treaty of Paris, England lost its 13 colonies in America and ceded East and West Florida to Spain. The American victory profoundly influenced the French and in fact, on the 100th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence, France gifted United States with the Statue of Liberty, holding a torch in one hand and a tablet inscribed with “July 4, 1776” in the other. The American struggle also inspired the French Revolution in 1789, which abolished the monarchy and The French nation had adopted the Republic as its regime. European monarchs (German, Austrian, Russian, English, etc.) perceived this as a major threat, forming coalitions against France to prevent the republican model from spreading and declared war on the French Republic. In 1795, as a young artillery officer only 26 years old, Napoleon observed that no army, however strong, disciplined, or motivated, could succeed without proper food and logistics. He famously said, “An army marches on its stomach.” The military and civilian “Atlantic voyages,” which intensified during the American War of Independence, also allowed for different observations to be made. Napoleon, who had great respect for history and was careful to learn lessons from it, observed that the various logistical problems experienced during the exploration period in previous centuries actually continued; the most fundamental issue was scurvy. Lack of fresh fruits and vegetables led to vitamin A and C deficiencies, gum disease and overall exhaustion, not only for sailors but also for crowded land-based armies. Napoleon directed the French government to hold a contest in 1795: any inventor who developed a cheap and effective way to preserve large quantities of food for soldiers would receive 12,000 francs, a prize roughly over €100,000 today. Nicolas Appert, a food producer and inventor, began experimenting in 1795 with preserving soups, vegetables, fruit juices, dairy, jellies, jams and syrups. He placed foods in glass jars, sealed them with cork and wax and boiled them (later used autoclaves). While housewives may have used similar methods already, Appert was the first to implement it on an industrial scale. In 1806, he presented a selection of bottled fruits and vegetables at the French Industrial Products Exhibition but won no prize. Since the science of bacteriology and microbiology was not yet developed, he could not fully explain why his method worked. By 1810, the French Ministry of the Interior granted him 12,000 francs on the condition that he ‘publicly reveal his method’—a strategic misstep for France’s national interests. That same year, Appert published ‘The Art of Preserving All Kinds of Animal and Vegetable Substances for Several Years’, printing 6,000 copies, which quickly attracted international attention. In the same year, English inventor and merchant Peter Durand patented a similar method using “tin cans”, creating today’s modern canning process. The French term for “canning” is still “appertization.” Appert’s boiled glass jars inspired many, and later, Louis Pasteur’s work on pasteurization further advanced food microbiology and laid the groundwork for cold chain development before the 19th century ended.

Those who watch Western movies know this next point well. Between 1850–1900, small towns in the U.S. featured “Saloons” with bars and hotels serving cowboys, soldiers, businessmen, lawmen, outlaws, miners and gamblers. Equally essential were “General Stores,” the precursors of today’s American supermarket chains. These stores sold staple foods like milk and bread alongside hardware items such as shovels, picks and gas lamps. And can you guess the most stocked and popular items? Canned foods. Every imaginable kind of food as canned product; from beans to seafood such as salmon and oysters, all kinds of vegetable dishes and pickles, meat varieties and jams made from all kinds of fruit was available. Three historical events drove the growing demand for a wide variety canned goods. The Gold Rush, which began in 1849 in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California and saw hundreds of thousands of people from different cities embark on a frenzied race to find gold. The Crimean War between European countries (England, France, and Sardinia, which sided with the Ottoman Empire against Russia) from 1853 to 1856 and the American Civil War from 1861 to 1865 officially skyrocketed the demand for canned goods! Soldiers, migrants, miners and cowboys wandering in open fields needed durable foods that could be stored or carried without daily shopping. This rising demand led companies such as Thomas Kensett & Ezra Daggett, Underwood Company, Gail Borden, Van Camp Packing Company, H.J. Heinz Company and Campbell Soup Company to produce canned goods at scale. By the late 19th century, competition among producers with new foods, ornate labels and low prices further expanded the diversity of canned foods accessible to urban populations.

While on the topic of Western movies, I can’t help but mention The Godfather series, which I love so much; In The Godfather Part II, young Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando in childhood scenes, Robert De Niro in youth) is shown working in a delicatessen and grocery store after arriving from Sicily to New York. Customers do not self-serve; they request items from behind the counter, much like a pharmacy and employees would hand them. From the 1800s through the 1930s, American grocery shopping followed this model. I believe that in order to fully understand “the history of global grocery retail,” one must study American food retail and supermarket development. As promised in my previous article, in the next piece I will explore American pioneers who “started the firsts in the industry” and shaped modern supermarkets. Stay informed and inspired, see you next time.