Zingerman's

At the ninth-grade lunch bell, Rob Dube darted past the cafeteria to the locker he shared with Joel Perlman. Clients had already begun to line the hall as Dube retrieved his stash of Blow Pops, bought from Perlman’s uncle for a nickel a piece, and turned a 20-cent profit. That was just the...

Zingerman’s, which began with two partners opening an Ann Arbor delicatessen in 1982, has grown into a baker’s dozen of businesses with 732 employees and $62 million in annual sales. As an entity, Zingerman’s is known for its progressive values nearly as much as its food. All...