Craig J. Grybowski
Craig was the Historian and Archivist for The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P) from 1998 to 2010. During this same period, he acted as President of the A&P Historical Society. Craig no longer has any affiliation with "The Tea Company" as it was once affectionately known. A&P was originally founded as "The Great American Tea Company" in 1859. In 1869, it was renamed "The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company" in order to commemorate the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. A&P is the oldest Grocery Chain in the United States and may have been the first grocer to introduce private label brands. Some of A&P's private label brands included Iona, Marvel, Ann Page, Jane Parker, Encore, Rajah, Grandmother's, Sultana, Bright Sail, Warwick and Cap'n John's. By 1930, A&P operated almost 16,000 stores from coast to coast.