HUNGRY.

Espresso: The Truth Behind The History of Supermarkets - Franco Fubini, Natoora

Nov 6, 2025
In this discussion, Franco Fubini, the founder of Natoora and a fresh produce expert, dives into the compelling history of supermarkets. He reveals how Piggly Wiggly revolutionized grocery shopping by introducing self-service. Franco explores how postwar changes shaped consumer habits, emphasizing time-saving convenience and the shift towards ultra-processed foods. He also discusses Walmart's rapid growth and the business incentives driving mass retailing while linking these trends to our evolutionary preferences for calorie-dense foods. A fascinating look at how our shopping habits evolved!
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INSIGHT

How Supermarkets Rewired Shopping Habits

  • Supermarkets emerged by offering self-service, range, price and convenience that reshaped shopping habits.
  • This created a weekly, car-centric shopping ritual that prioritized non-fresh center-store goods over perimeter produce.
ANECDOTE

Piggly Wiggly: The First Self-Service Store

  • Piggly Wiggly, founded around 1913–1916, was the first to introduce self-service shopping.
  • Franco Fubini mentions the brand still exists on the US East Coast as the origin of modern supermarket practice.
INSIGHT

Convenience And Industrial Food Converged

  • Post-WWII social shifts (women working) and industrial food production drove demand for convenience.
  • Supermarkets and food manufacturers reinforced each other, accelerating processed and ultra-processed food consumption.
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