Description Yucaipa has a hungry eye for picking out ripe bargains in different industries, but made its name with grocery stores. The investment company, which was formed in 1986, forged its reputation as the ultimate grocery shopper, executing a series of grocery chain mergers and acquisitions involving such companies as Fred Meyer, Ralphs, and Jurgensen's that put the company on the supermarket map. It currently owns stakes in about 35 companies, including grocery chains A&P and Whole Foods. Yucaipa's chairman, billionaire and former grocery store bag boy Ron Burkle, is a prominent Democratic activist and fundraiser. He owns a significant stake in the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, as well.