10 million orders later, that’s a lot of peas

Online grocer Peapod fulfilled its 10 millionth order today, 17½ years after the company started, Peapod reports. "When we started Peapod, we knew we wanted to improve people`s lives but we had no idea we would ever hit such an historic milestone," says co-founder Andrew Parkinson.

Peapod, No. 45 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, is now a unit of Netherlands-based Royal Ahold.

The customer receiving the 10 millionth order will receive free groceries for six months.

Brothers Andrew and Thomas Parkinson founded Peapod in 1989 in Evanston, IL. They delivered the 10 millionth order. Initial orders were placed using special software and a modem to dial into Peapod’s computer. Peapod went on the Internet in 1998.

Peapod, now based in Skokie, IL, serves 18 markets including the metro areas of Chicago, Milwaukee, Boston, suburban New York City and Washington, D.C., and communities in Illinois, Wisconsin, Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, Rhode Island and New Jersey.