Angeli Foods
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Grocery store |
| Founded | 1917 |
| Founder | Alfred Angeli |
| Defunct | 2022 |
| Fate | Acquired by Miner's, Inc. |
| Headquarters | Iron River , United States |
Area served | Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Wisconsin |
Key people | Alfred Angeli, Libero Angeli, Fred Angeli |
| Products | Grocery stores, farming operation, hotel, feed warehouse, pet supplies |
Angeli Foods, also referred to as Angeli's Central Market or Angeli's Super Valu, was a grocery store chain based in the United States, originating in Iron River, Michigan. The enterprise was founded in 1917 by Italian immigrant Alfred Angeli and subsequently grew throughout Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The business remained under family ownership for three generations before being sold in 2022.
History
In 1917, Alfred Angeli opened the first Angeli Foods location at 402 W. Adams St. in Iron River, Michigan. This establishment was notable as the Upper Peninsula’s inaugural self-service grocery store and introduced several innovations such as frozen food lockers, a five-day workweek for employees, profit-sharing plans, and medical insurance.
The early years featured grocery deliveries using a 1924 Ford Model TT truck, which was later preserved and displayed inside the store. Over time, Angeli Foods expanded its operations beyond retail groceries to include a 2,000-acre farming operation, the Iron Inn hotel, a feed warehouse, and a pet supply division.
Following Alfred's passing in 1950, his son Libero took over and broadened the company’s footprint. In 1953, construction began on a new store in Iron River. Under Libero’s guidance, Angeli Foods became the anchor tenant of Riverside Plaza—the first shopping center in Iron River—and launched a nearby 24,000-square-foot supermarket. By 1973, the company achieved $7.4 million in annual sales, leading to Libero receiving the Small Business Administration’s "Small Businessman of the Year for Michigan" honor.
During the 1990s, Angeli Foods operated multiple locations across the region:
- Menominee, Michigan:
- A 12,500-square-foot store opened either in the late 1960s or early 1970s;
- A larger SuperValu County Market spanning 48,000 square feet debuted at M&M Plaza in 1983 and was eventually expanded to 72,000 square feet;
- Marinette, Wisconsin: A 45,000-square-foot store located on Roosevelt Road launched in 1992 and later incorporated a gas station;
- Escanaba, Michigan: A Kitchen-Pantry convenience outlet situated at 1505 Washington Ave.
In 2013, Fred Angeli—the third generation of family ownership—was honored with the Michigan Grocers Association’s first-ever Al Kessel Outstanding Achievement Award. The next year saw the introduction of organic product lines at the Menominee store. Between 2016 and 2017, Angeli Foods divested its Menominee and Marinette stores along with the associated gas station to Jack's Fresh Market, leaving only the original Iron River location operational.
By 2019, the Iron River store employed over one hundred seasonal workers. Known for its wide selection of Italian specialty items, it also offered various non-grocery services including a Verizon mobile outlet, UPS parcel drop-off and pick-up points, dry cleaning services, a Stormy Kromer retail location, and a sporting goods shop that replaced a former video rental business due to changing consumer habits driven by streaming media.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Angeli Foods adopted contactless phone ordering supported by volunteers. By 2021, they had introduced an online platform enabling customers to place grocery orders for pickup.
Associated enterprises
In 1959, Mike Leonard Angeli, representing a different branch of the Angeli family, launched an Angeli grocery outlet in Marquette, Michigan. This store was situated close to the intersection of Washington and 7th Streets. The store ceased operations in 1975 when Angeli became a founding and key tenant within the Marquette Mall development. The newly constructed mall location, operating under the SuperValu brand, opened its doors in 1973 but ultimately shut down in 1989 due to intensified competition within the regional grocery sector.
Acquisition
On March 15, 2022, Angeli Foods revealed a preliminary agreement to be acquired by Miner's, Inc., the company behind the Super One Foods grocery chain serving Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. As part of this transaction, Angeli's last remaining store in Iron River was slated for conversion into the chain's thirty-second Super One outlet. The acquisition was completed in May, with the store undergoing a brief closure to facilitate the rebranding process.