“A helpful smile in every aisle” — the employee-owned grocery chain born in a tiny southern-Iowa town in 1930.
Hy-Vee began in 1930 when Charles Hyde and David Vredenburg opened a general store in tiny Beaconsfield, Iowa, during the Great Depression. The partners built a small network of stores across southern Iowa and northern Missouri.
In 1952 an employee contest produced the name “Hy-Vee,” combining Hyde and Vredenburg. The company became employee-owned, and grew into one of the largest supermarket chains in the Midwest.
From a single Depression-era store, Hy-Vee grew into a regional institution known for its employee ownership, service culture, and community giving. Its dietitians, pharmacies, and Hy-Vee Homefront program have made it a fixture of Midwestern life.
As an employee-owned company, generations of Iowans have built retirements on Hy-Vee stock.
Hy-Vee is based in West Des Moines, Iowa. Employee-owned chain of 280+ stores across the Midwest, headquartered in West Des Moines
1930.
Charles Hyde & David Vredenburg — founded the first store in Beaconsfield (1930)
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