Brothers Walter and John Wegman (Robert Wegman’s father and uncle) learned the food business by working in their mom and dad’s grocery store in Rochester, NY. Walter worked in the store while John peddled fresh produce from a pushcart. In 1916, John opened the Rochester Fruit & Vegetable Company, which marks the beginning of Wegmans Food Markets. Walter joined him a year later. By 1921, the two brothers bought the Seel Grocery Co., and expanded their operations to include general groceries and bakery operations.