Who Makes Trader Joe’s Mayonnaise (Quality, Reviews + More)

Trader Joe’s sources many of their private label brand items from third-party manufacturers. Anything that comes marked as “Trader Joe’s” is not their own product.

They don’t have a factory, just a distribution center. This is true for snacks, condiments, beverages, dips, and all the rest.

So, who makes Trader Joe’s mayonnaise? The truth is, no, we don’t. Trader Joe’s takes their “Private Label” contracts seriously and they never divulge who manufactures these products. However, through some investigation, it’s likely that it comes from Q&B Foods, Inc.

Many people have tried to inquire about other products. Either they didn’t get a response from Trader Joe’s or they reached out to suspected suppliers who refused to disclose that information.

After doing a search, there are a few brands which are very similar to Trader Joe’s in regards to ingredients and nutrition labels.

Why Doesn’t Trader Joe’s Divulge Their Suppliers?

We don’t know exactly why Trader Joe’s doesn’t name their suppliers. However, we can surmise a few things.

First, there’s probably some sort of NDA (nondisclosure agreement) to prevent Trader Joe’s and their suppliers from speaking about the business they conduct with one another.

The other likely reason is that the secrecy allows Trader Joe’s to sell products, like mayonnaise, at a discounted price.

It’s probable that they want to build brand loyalty. If they tell us where it comes from, it would defeat that purpose. 

Read also: Who Makes Great Value Mayonnaise (Walmart – Best Tips!)

What Does Trader Joe’s State about Their Private Label Products?

The only thing Trader Joe’s indicates about their private label products is they “promise great quality fare for exceptional, everyday prices.”

They claim to sample all their products before putting their name on it and only sell what they think is quality.

How Do You Know that Trader Joe’s Mayonnaise Comes from Q&B Foods, Inc.?

We don’t know that Q&B Foods, Inc. supplies Trader Joe’s mayonnaise for sure. However, by doing a little searching online, comparing the ingredients, and using deductive reasoning, it’s very likely that it is.

Plus, if you search Trader Joe’s website for mayonnaise, nothing comes up for it. They list products containing mayo or the letters m-a-y-o, but nothing in regards to the actual product itself. You can, however, find it at other places like Wal-Mart and Amazon.

So, after doing a general search of the ingredients from Trader Joe’s mayo, two brands popped up: Spectrum Organic Mayonnaise with Cage Free Eggs and Ojai Cook Mayonnaise with Cage Free Eggs. Both brands you can find on Amazon.

Ingredient Evaluation

The following is a side-by-side ingredient comparison. The only difference is the addition of organic honey in Spectrum’s mayonnaise, which would make it more “proprietary.”

Trader Joe’s Organic Mayonnaise	Spectrum Organic Mayonnaise with Cage Free Eggs	Ojai Cook Mayonnaise with Cage Free Eggs
Water	Organic expeller pressed soy and/or canola oil	Organic expeller pressed soybean oil
Organic expeller pressed soybean oil	Filtered water	Water
Organic white vinegar	Organic egg yolks	Organic egg yolks
Organic whole eggs	Organic whole eggs	Organic whole eggs
Organic pasteurized egg yolks	Organic distilled white vinegar	Organic distilled white vinegar
Salt	Sea salt	Salt
Organic white mustard (salt, organic mustard seed, distilled organic vinegar, organic spices, water)	Organic mustard (distilled organic vinegar, organic mustard seed, water, organic spices, salt)	Organic white mustard (distilled organic vinegar, organic mustard seed, water, organic spices, salt)
Organic lemon juice concentrate	Organic lemon juice concentrate	Organic lemon juice concentrate
	Organic honey

Digging into the Information

While Trader Joe’s and Spectrum Organics do not list their private label manufacturer, Ojai Cook does. It’s Q&B Foods, Inc., which is a division of Kewpie.

They are notorious for creating retail market brands, specifically advertising mayonnaise.

There’s further evidence in the nutrition facts label. All have 100 calories per serving and 11 mg Cholesterol along with most of the same numbers.

The main difference is that Trader Joe’s; Spectrum have 85 mg of sodium while Ojai has 80.

Comparing & Contrasting

For comparison, Kraft Avocado Oil Mayonnaise has 90 calories, different nutritional values, and comprises ingredient variations:

• Water
• Eggs
• Egg Yolks
• 2% Sugar or less
• Soybean Oil
• Natural Flavor (Contains Mustard)
• Vinegar
• Salt
• Dried Onion
• Dried Garlic
• Paprika
• Calcium Disodium Edta
• Lemon Juice Concentrate

Further Evaluation

What’s interesting is Hellman’s Organic Mayonnaise has 100 calories and similar ingredients as Trader Joe’s, Spectrum, and Ojai Cook.

Just to illustrate things further, the organic mayo by Chosen Foods has 100 calories per serving with significant variations in the ingredients:

• Organic Blend Oil (Organic Avocado Oil, Organic High Oleic Safflower Oil, Organic Coconut Oil)
• Organic Egg Yolks and whole eggs
• Filtered Water
• Organic Mustard (Organic Water, Mustard Seed, Organic Spices, Salt, Distilled Organic Vinegar)
• Organic Distilled White Vinegar
• Organic Rosemary Extract
• Salt

The fact that TJ’s, Spectrum, Ojai Cook, and Hellman’s have essentially the same ingredients with the exact same number of calories is highly suspect.

While you could make arguments for the difference in the sodium count or honey, certainly it wouldn’t take much for Kewpie to adjust things for the preferences of the retailer.

Conclusion

Even though we don’t know who makes Trader Joe’s mayonnaise for sure, we can surmise it comes from Q&B Food, Inc., a division of Kewpie. Kewpie has nationwide fame specifically producing things like mayonnaise for various private brands. But, when you compare labels of similar mayonnaise, you begin to see a different picture.

References

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/FAQ/product-faqs

https://www.traderjoes.com/