1859
In 1859, George Huntington Hartford and George Gilman opened a tea and spice warehouse called The Great American Tea Co. at 31 Vesey St. in New York City. In 1869, the company was renamed the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., in honor of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad.
Source: Bergen Record, 6/12/2009

46,852
According to the Food Marketing Institute.
Source: Business Week, 6/9/2009

$416.6 billion

Source: Wall Street Journals, 12/13/2009

$82.9 billion
According to the Private Label Manufacturer's Association.
Source: Wall Street Journal, 12/13/2009