JayC was founded in 1863 by Swiss immigrant John C. Groub, who, with his wife Elizabeth, opened the chain's first store on South Chestnut Street in the city of Seymour.

John C. Groub died in 1888, passing the management of the company to his son Theodore and his son-in-law William Masters, an experienced grocer.

[citation needed] A major remodel project for the Columbus, Indiana JayC Foods (store #008) is planned to begin in August 2016.

The remodel will include updates and improvements to the existing store infrastructure, expansion of the beer and wine selection, adjustments to grocery stock that will result in an increase of in-stock product size options as well as product varieties based on information gathered from JayC Foods (store #008) customer purchase data and/or JayC Foods (store #008) customer request history, changes to some aisles in regard to length/width/shelving structure, updates to check-out stations, and other improvements for functionality and customer satisfaction increases.

Information regarding additions of an in-store pharmacy and/or self-check-out stations have been rumored but are not confirmed at this time to be included parts of the 2016 remodel plan for the Columbus, Indiana location of JayC Foods (store #008).