Among his peers in the food retailing business nationwide and the private label industry as well, Danny Wegman has earned a reputation as a leader and innovator. He became president of his family-owned company in 1976 and succeeded his father, Robert Wegman, as chief executive officer in 2005. Wegmans Food Markets of Rochester, NY began branding its own products with the Wegmans store name in 1979 under Danny’s leadership as CEO. Today Wegmans offers high value store brands throughout all food departments including center store and frozen food aisles, in addition to Wegmans’ almost legendary perishables perimeters—among of the most expansive and well-renowned in the U.S. grocery industry.

In 1991, Wegmans was among the earliest traditional supermarket chains to introduce a store brand program focused exclusively on health and all-natural ingredients without the use of artificial flavorings, additives, or preservatives under the sub-brand: Food You Feel Good About. The line extends from fresh and frozen foods to shelf-stable groceries. Wegmans followed the success of FYFGA with the successful launch of organic products under the Wegmans Organic brand in 2002. In 1995, the company introduced its first premium food line under the Italian Classics brand. Since then, Wegmans has added several other specialty store brand lines such as Asian Classics, Discover the Orient, Travels of Asia, Market Café and Wegmans Organics. In the research and development of new products, Danny Wegman and his team of category managers—whom he refers to as merchants—regularly set out on treasure hunts and traveled the world seeking out new food specialties to market under the Wegmans brand. As an indicator of the values underlying success of Wegmans’ store brands, under Danny Wegman’s leadership, the company has been named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by Fortune magazine for over 20 consecutive years and in 2020 Wegmans ranked #3 on the list.