Kroger began in Cincinnati in 1883 when Bernard Kroger opened a grocery store.
Bernard Kroger used savings from earlier work to establish the business, which became the Great Western Tea Company. The company expanded through grocery stores and later adopted the Kroger name associated with its founder.
Kroger became one of the largest supermarket operators in the United States, operating stores under the Kroger banner and several regional names. Its history includes early investment in meat departments and vertically integrated food operations.
The date can be confused with the founding dates of other major U.S. chains. Safeway traces its corporate history to 1915, Publix was founded in 1930, and the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company began in 1859.