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.

Coborn’s 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.

Chester’s sons, Chet and Lee, take over after their father dies.

Moves the grocery store to a larger space across the street. Extends credit to all customers and asks them to pay their bills as resources became available, during the Great Depression.

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

Adds a meat market to the store, a first for the region.

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

Completes major expansion that doubles double store’s size.

Adopts the “cash and carry” concept.

Duke’s four sons – Bob, Dan, Bill, and Ron – take over the business after their father dies from a heart attack.

Brothers begin developing growth strategy.

Buys Red Owl grocery store in Foley, about 20 miles northeast of the original store in Sauk Rapids. Opens store near St. Cloud State University campus on Fifth Avenue.

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.

Opens first liquor store next to Fifth Avenue store in St. Cloud in time for homecoming, connecting the two operations with a common lobby.

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

Opens fifth store in space formerly used by Piggly Wiggly in the small strip mall in north St. Cloud. Opens first free-standing liquor store, not accompanied by a grocery store, near Crossroads Mall in Waite Park. Builds new Sauk Rapids store down the street from the original store and introduces scratch bakery, deli and sausage kitchen. Don Wetter, who would later become CEO, joins as controller.

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

Adds first video stop, located in new Sartell store. Expands store hours and begins going to 24 hours in next five years.

Builds 200,000-square-foot Cash Wise 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.

Builds larger Cash Wise store in Willmar and moves previously store to that location and begins plans to expand the Cash Wise brand. Begins construction of new corporate office in St. Cloud.

Expands out of Minnesota with its first store in Mason City, Iowa.

Opens first convenience store and named it Little Dukes in honor of Dan’s father, Duke.

Opens first in-store pharmacy, located in Cash Wise in Waite Park. Builds warehouse for merchandise next to corporate office. Dan Coborn earns Grocer of the Year from the Minnesota Grocers Association and names Don Wetter president.

Opens Central Bakery plant.

Adds banking when First American State Bank locates in Sauk Rapids store.

Unveils first Natural Foods Department, initially in Cash Wise in Waite Park.

Expands to North Dakota with Cash Wise store in Fargo.

Introduces superstore concept.

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.

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. Installs self-checkout lanes, initially in Albertville. Makes 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.

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.

Becomes an ESOP with the adoption of the Employee Stock Ownership Plan that makes employees co-owners of the company. Adds coffee shop, owned and operated by Caribou Coffee, in Elk River store. Adds first walk-in medical clinic, operated by HealthPartners Central Minnesota Clinics.

Chris Coborn named CEO, 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.

Fully launches online grocery business with the acquisition of SimonDelivers, an online grocer and home-delivery service based in the Twin Cities. Coborn’s renamed it CobornsDelivers and made it a new division. Opens first coffee shop, owned and operated by Coborn’s, in Sauk Rapids store. Opens first coffee shop owned by Coborn’s opens as a Caribou Coffee in Sauk Rapids store.

Enters partnership to operate four existing stores in North Dakota and announces plans to build five new stores in next two years. Opens first licensed Save-A-Lot in Minnesota.

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

Coborn’s acquires four Captain Jack’s liquor stores in Bismarck and Mandan, North Dakota.

Coborn’s breaks ground for the Corporate 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.

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.

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.

First loyalty program introduced as MORE Rewards incentivizing customer loyalty with promotions and product discounts including fuel, liquor and pharmacy rewards. The program launched as a completely digital program, enabling the customer to only need their phone number rather than carrying a membership card. To date, nearly 750,000 guests have enrolled in the program and they have redeemed over $15million in fuel savings earned from participating.

First Minnesota Business Hall of Fame inductee from Coborn’s, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Coborn, representing a fourth generation of leadership.

First in-store popcorn shop opens at Hornbacher’s Gateway West location in Fargo, North Dakota with select stores added subsequently.

First Dunn Brother’s Coffee opens in a company grocery store at Coborn’s Cooper Avenue store in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

First “next generation” Cash Wise opens in North Bismarck, North Dakota.

First curbside pickup option becomes available in all Coborn’s, Cash Wise and Marketplace Foods store locations.

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.

First robotic salad maker introduced at Otsego’s Coborn’s Marketplace location, revolutionizing salad bars.

First COVID-19 vaccinations are distributed through the strategic planning of the Coborn’s Pharmacy team following a year-long worldwide pandemic.

First Retailer of the Year awarded to Coborn’s, Inc. from Shelby Publishing, a leading publication for the grocery industry.