These are the stories of the dreamers and the doers, the farmers, the bakers, the organic soy candlemakers. Whole Foods Market is the sum of our suppliers, our Team Members, and our customers. They are our inspiration.
We’re on a mission: to nourish people and the planet. What does that really mean? Scroll down, and we won’t just tell you, we’ll show you. These are the real people behind the products – a community of some of the smartest, most passionate, hardest-working folks you’ll ever meet.
Welcome to the Whole Story.
Happy Hens
What started as a small pasture and a group of hens has become a business with more than 300 small family farms. Pasture-raised eggs from Vital Farms provide for the people who buy them and the family farmers whose chickens produce them, all while pushing standards forward.
Conventional seafood farming often gets mixed reviews and falls short on transparency. See how Whole Foods Market’s aquaculture standards require traceability and responsible farming.
Sustainable Sourcing isn’t just for the produce department! See how Weleda’s plant-powered body care products help us pursue our purpose – nourishing people and the planet!
Since 1921 Weleda has been promoting a harmonious connection between plants and people. In this piece, visit one of Weleda’s six biodynamic gardens to see how they grow the plants that power their body care products, and learn how their sourcing philosophy aligns with Whole Foods Market’s.
Nestled in the heart of Costa Rica are the seeds of a new society at EARTH University. Founded in 1990, EARTH University has focused on giving young people from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and other regions an innovative educational approach to solve the world’s greatest problems around food systems.
Part of students’ tuition is funded through a longstanding relationship between EARTH University and Whole Foods Market through the retailer’s Sourced for Good program. Bananas that are grown on campus are sold with a premium at Whole Foods Market stores.
The Pacific Northwest’s beauty and natural resources have drawn folks to move and live there for centuries, creating a vibrant mix of nature, technology and culture that permeates the region’s communities.
NW Farms is part of that vibrant mix. The vertical hydroponic farming company is run by a family whose aim is to provide clean and local fresh produce throughout in the Pacific Northwest.
How do we change the way we eat? Hamburgers, chicken nuggets, French fries, milk-shakes — these are often staples of the American diet. Instead of doing away with those comfort foods, PLNT Burger is promoting change by transforming these classics into plant-based foods.
PLNT Burger is a plant-based fast-food establishment crafted by chefs and former industry executives. Its mission is to “eat the change you want to see in the world.” With each order, PLNT Burger aims to inspire a movement to healthy and conscious choices without giving up taste and comfort.
From Greece to Australia to the U.S., Ellenos has continuously traveled and evolved. At its most recent stop in Seattle, Ellenos began a new chapter through a partnership with Whole Foods Market and the Local Producer Loan Program for its yogurt that “makes ice cream jealous.”
Honoring the past, Building the future in NYC’s AAPI Community
What does supporting local mean in New York City? For a city built on transplants with hopes and dreams, it means supporting community initiatives, music, and food and beverage, and how they’re all connected.
In these Whole Story videos, hosted by Nguyen Coffee Supply founder Sahra Nguyen, we see how Whole Foods Market’s support of local brands extends and connects to NYC’S AAPI community and its spirit.
Inspired by the beauty around them in the land of 10,000 lakes, three friends came together with one mission: inspire a movement away from single-use plastics through beauty products.
Jay and Nora Schaper had already been making soaps and working with local co-ops to distribute their products. They decided to shift their focus, go plastic-free and recruit Ward Johnson in the process. But it came with a whole new challenge: neither product formula nor its production process existed.
It’s hard to overstate the effect that Denise Breyley has had on the food scene in the Pacific Northwest; from mentoring emerging brands to chasing down all the latest trends, Denise has been an unwavering champion of artisanal, local food. After an illustrious 28-year career at Whole Foods Market, Denise recently retired from her role as a Principal Forager. Watch on to learn what it means to be a Forager!
Our lamb from Chilean Patagonia comes from animals raised without antibiotics and added hormones. They’re Animal Welfare Certified to Global Animal Partnership’s Level 4, which includes being raised on pasture with no feedlots allowed.
Bloomia is nestled in the community of King George, VA. The company has been growing change through hydroponic flowers and a unique relationship with Whole Foods Market that supports worker voices and wages.
We’re serious about better body care for you and your family — because what goes on your body is just as important as what goes in it! Excellent sourcing means knowing where our products come from, how they’re grown and what ingredients they contain.
What causes a couple to give up six-figure jobs, a comfortable hip and urban home, and their neighborhood friends to dive headfirst into agriculture, an industry plagued with uncertainties and instability?
For the family behind Jones Farm Organics in Hooper, CO, it is with the hopes of changing the system of how we produce food, one potato at a time.
How far have we strayed from where milk started? It just comes from a cow, after all. Right? Well, it’s much more complicated than that, but the Alexandre Family Farm is turning the clock back to focus on farm practices and a type of milk from the beginning days of dairy production. Over time, selective breeding for greater milk production has resulted in unsought changes in composition. To avoid that, the Alexandres only breed cows and bulls that both carry the A2 gene, a specific gene that is used to define all milk. With this dairy restart, they hope to bring dairy back into homes across the country.
