The Whole Trade Guarantee Rose project began almost a year ago when three of us from Whole Foods Market made a trip to Ecuador to learn about Fair Trade certified roses. Right away we saw that Ecuadorian roses are gorgeous! BIG! STRONG! BOLD! After meeting with the rose workers and learning how Fair Trade benefits them, we were smitten. Before the trip was over we had the wheels in motion to bring a Whole Trade Guarantee rose to market on our stores. Read the rest of this entry »

This comment came in to John Mackey’s CEO blog this week and I thought it was worth sharing here — cool story about Mr. Moore’s coffee company and what they are doing (story starts in the 3rd paragraph).

Dear Mr. Mackey -
I love your passion for life and your refreshing ability to express yourself so well in the media - both in speeches and in this blog. It so cool in this society to see a leader such as yourself to express his views on love and life but more importantly your gracious views of and respect for your parents is so critical in this society. We need more people to express their values and to not be afraid to express them even when they may not be so well received in this culture. Thanks again for your two wonderful speeches and your love of life and love and parents.

Read the rest of this entry »

Oh man, you guys made this hard! You shared hundreds of great tips for saving while shopping at Whole Foods Market. We picked three to feature in this blog post and these customers will each receive a $25 gift card. Check out all of the innovative customer tips at The Whole Deal™…and leave your own tip! Each week, we’ll review the tips (old and new) and pick a few to highlight here in Whole Story. And this week’s winning tips are:

Shopping just once a week has brought surprising savings in food as well as gas. I go to my local Whole Foods early in the morning when it’s less crowded so I can compare prices and see specials instead of grabbing things to get in and out and I check out recipes I find throughout the store that coincide with specials. Read the rest of this entry »

Check out this 20 minute video of Mark Bittman’s talk at the EG (Entertainment Gathering) Conference from TED. (TED - Technology, Entertainment, Design - has a lot of great stuff from a wide variety of thought leaders.) TED describes this piece as “a fiery and funny talk” where “New York Times food writer Mark Bittman weighs in on what’s wrong with the way we eat now (too much meat, too few plants; too much fast food, too little home cooking), and why it’s putting the entire planet at risk.” Do you agree with Mark’s suggestions for necessary changes?

In spite of their tough-sounding name, stone fruits are some of the softest — and most delicious — summer fruits you can sink your teeth into. Listen in as our produce expert, James Parker, explains what to look for and what to do with the stone fruits now in season.

 Stone Fruits [4:17m]: Play Now | Download (4846)

I just visited Ron Cottle, one of the better conventional and “emerging organic” growers (and long-time vendor/partner with Whole Foods Market) in Eastern North Carolina and took a bunch of pictures to share. He is just about wrapped-up with organic and conventional blueberries and is just now starting his blackberry harvest (they’re awesome!), and in about 8 to 10 days will be full-speed ahead with his organic grape tomatoes.

This block of about 10 contiguous acres just came to full organic certification this season, and he’s pretty excited about it. Read the rest of this entry »

 Cheddar Cheese Drop Biscuits [5:12m]: Play Now | Download (918)
 Cheddar Cheese Drop Biscuits [5:12m]: Download (2133)

Secret Ingredient host Scott Herbert prepares cheddar cheese biscuits using a non-food secret ingredient: a cast iron skillet. Learn why cast iron skillets have been an essential kitchen tool for hundreds of years and why they can be a healthy choice for your kitchen too.

For about a year, we’ve been giving small, local producers low-interest loans to help them grow their businesses. You can learn more about Whole Foods Market’s Local Producer Loan Program.
Just this week, we finalized our first loan in our hometown, Austin, Texas! Tracy Claros, originally from England, makes and sells incredible English puddings, or cakes, under the name The Sticky Toffee Pudding Company. After starting with just one flavor, Tracy has branched out (one cannot live by sticky toffee pudding alone, although you can try!) and now offers four different puddings, with English Lemon Pudding, Molten Chocolate Baby-Cake (pictured), and Sticky Ginger Pudding rounding out the lot.

I love the classic, the sticky toffee pudding. When I lived in Australia many years ago, my best friend and I used to share these all the time (although there they are called sticky date puddings). The best part, IMO, is the stickiness - an awesome toffee sauce. Totally amazing! And really good with whipped cream or ice cream (but what isn’t?).

Although Tracy’s products are already in distribution in many parts of the country, she still makes her cakes by hand and needed some additional equipment to help her continue to grow. The loan we’ve worked with her on is going to finance a tray sealer, which will help her go from 12 puddings a minute to 40!

We’re always looking for new loan recipients, so please feel free to check out the program information and contact me if you or someone you know would be a good loan candidate.

With gas prices averaging over $4 a gallon and other economic challenges causing many to talk about belt tightening, Whole Foods Market wanted to create a way for you to share tips with each other about smart shopping. We know that you make decisions every day about how to stretch your grocery dollar so you don’t have to trade quality for value. So, we’ve set up a page called “The Whole Deal™ where you can swap budget tips with like-minded Whole Foods Market customers and team members.

Sure, we know that some people are going to choose to cut back on their shopping with us. And we also know there are many thrifty folks who are committed to natural and organic foods and who will gladly share their insight from years of experience.

Once a week, we’ll choose the best of the best customer tips from all of the comments on The Whole Deal™ to feature on Whole Story - and we’ll send those customers a $25 gift card.

To get us started, here’s a great tip from Rachael, a long-time team member. (Don’t you know that our team members are going to have some great tips to share?!)

Plan your meals ahead of time, make a shopping list and stick to it. That way you avoid expensive impulse buys. I try to allow myself one special treat when I do a big shopping trip - some fancy cheese, a special bottle of wine, or a nice body care product, but I decide ahead of time what I am going to buy so I don’t get carried away or faint from sticker shock at the checkout. There are great deals on staple items at Whole Foods Market, but it’s usually those super-unique and irresistible items that make the grocery bill high - so, as difficult as it may be, use your will power! — Rachael, Team Member

Okay, now it’s your turn. Please post your tip on The Whole Deal™.