Hey fellow Whole Bodies! Jeremiah here, the Senior Global Whole Body Coordinator. Having been in the natural products industry for 15 years I have never seen a more exciting time than now. Check out the shelves this month for all kinds of fun EXCLUSIVE products launching. Many of them are what we call “mission driven” or, in other words, they support a cause besides just making a profit. For instance, we are launching three new soaps from Alaffia (check out Jessica Johnson’s Whole Trade post for more scoop on these), which directly support the small community of Togo, West Africa. This is also a Whole Trade Guarantee group of products so we donate 1% of our sales to the Whole Planet Foundation on those items too!  Another great story is the three soaps from Save Your World (SYW). Not only do these soaps smell and feel great but for every bar you purchase SYW leases one acre of Rainforest for one year preserving it from being chopped down! So check out Whole Body and make a difference while you take a shower!!! (And, oh yeah, of course all of the exclusive products meet our new super clean Premium Body Care Standards!)

Cheese made from goats’ milk is lower in fat than comparable cheese made from cows’ milk and has a deliciously distinct flavor. Tune in for tips on selection and serving from our cheese expert, Cathy Strange.

 Goat Cheese [4:50m]: Play Now | Download (5353)

 One woman’s story – Aracely Cruz. [2:31m]: Play Now | Download (478)

I recently traveled to Estelí, Nicaragua to fulfill one portion of my job as the Development Associate for Whole Planet Foundation, Whole Foods Market’s non-profit that supports microlending programs in countries and communities where we source products. Microcredit is small loans given to the poorest of the poor, with a focus on women, so that they can invest in their own businesses and pull themselves out of poverty over time. I was on a mission to meet with the women we are supporting through this microlending program to discover if we are having an impact. Does microlending work? What is being done with the microloans?

To learn more, I spent time with the women (and some men), in their homes and visiting their businesses. Our partner on the ground, Pro Mujer, a microfinance institution, has long standing relationships with these communities and due to that strong friendship, I was welcomed by the individuals we support. One of the women I met with, Aracely Cruz, runs a cake business out of her very modest home. Until recently, she did not qualify to receive a loan from a traditional bank and without cash, she didn’t have a way to grow her business which is the sole source of income for her and her four children. One of the true values of microlending programs, is that they don’t require collateral or request that the individuals sign a contract. When Aracely learned about Pro Mujer, she was brave enough to take out a loan of $150. The funds have enabled her to buy greater quantities of ingredients for her cakes and she increased her production from 10 to 55 cakes per week. Aracely told me about her plans to move her wood burning oven into her home and repair the dilapidated walls in her house with profits from her cake business. Extreme poverty is evident in Aracely’s neighborhood –we saw children dig through landfills looking for small pieces of metal to sell for extra money- so Aracely’s success with microcredit has given real hope to her family and peers. Aracely expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to take out a loan without having any collateral. She is determined to grow her business and create a better life for her and her children. She told me, confidently, “My word is my collateral.”

Whole Planet Foundation has provided loans to over 16,500 individuals, like Aracely, in the developing world since its inception in 2005. Meeting with borrowers is an important part of our work as a Foundation and we are continually amazed by their resilience and hard work to create a higher standard of living for their families and for their children’s future.

Hallie is the Development Associate for Whole Planet Foundation. In this role, she supports the team in communications- including writing borrower stories, partnership development and fundraising programs. She has extensive travel, study and work experience in Latin America and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. Hallie has a BA in Psychology from Texas A&M University and enjoys traveling, music and rock climbing.

 Copper River Salmon with Basil Lemon Butter: Play Now | Download (2614)
 Copper River Salmon with Basil Lemon Butter: Download (2564)

Secret Ingredient host Mark Law reels in the season’s most anticipated catch: Copper River salmon. Learn how to prepare this rich, firm textured fish and discover a simple way to complement its buttery texture with a homemade basil-lemon butter.

Our favorite Whole Body expert, Jeremiah McElwee, was featured in this Dad’s day post on Planet Green sharing his picks for favorite personal care products for his kids. Look for Jeremiah to start blogging on Whole Story next week.

Happy Father’s Day to all those deserving dads.

My name is Jessica and I am the Whole Trade Guarantee Specialist. In my role I have the opportunity to promote social responsibility through the ethical sale and trade of commodity products. We donate 1% of all Whole Trade Guarantee sales to the Whole Planet Foundation, which funds micro-credit loans to women all over the world to help end world poverty.

One of my favorite companies to work with is Alaffia Bodycare. The owner and founder Olowo-n’djo Tchala was born and grew up in Togo, Africa located on the West African coast. Times were extremely difficult growing up due to political unrest. Olowo-n’djo made a promise to himself he would do all he could to improve the lives of the women from the community he grew up in. Indigenous to the country of Togo, shea nuts are the main ingredient used in Alaffia’s Bodycare products, which provides ethical wages to the women in the community.

Olowo-n’djo explains:

Because I grew up in poverty in Togo, I feel morally responsible to dedicate my life to empowering our communities in Africa. Read the rest of this entry »

Wanted to share with everyone the answer to a recent question about the plastic containers used in our prepared foods. Our customer Julie wrote:

Great to see the blog and I’m looking forward to reading it and seeing all of the great things Whole Foods will be doing for it’s customers and the world. One quick question, though, as I’m sitting here eating my yummy Whole Foods gazpacho. After taking it from its Number 5 plastic container, I’m wondering what other options you have for selling so much of your pre-packaged and prepared foods. I’m a regular purchaser of a bunch of those products, and I’m always frustrated that it has to come in the plastic containers that are not recyclable anywhere in my region.

Has WF ever thought about inviting customers to return their plastic containers to them? Is there any way you can sanitize them and reuse them? There are only so many uses of these containers in my house, and I do find myself guiltily throwing them out. I have Spring Water delivered to my house, and every two weeks, I put out the old containers, and they give me new. The water company does something to the containers that I use and then refills them and uses them again. I’d be thrilled to take my #5 containers back each week to WF. Would love to hear your thoughts on this.
Read the rest of this entry »

Because summer is such a busy, on-the-go season, snacks are a staple for kids and adults alike. Tune in to find out all about healthy, convenient snacks from Cindy Cuomo, our authority on snacks.

 Summer Snacks [4:20m]: Play Now | Download (5498)

Sunburn and scrapes, bites and bruises remind us that summer’s not all easy. Fortunately, there are effective natural products for addressing nature’s small challenges. Learn how to create your own summer first aid kit with essential oils, vitamins, herbal ointments and homeopathic remedies. Malia Curran, MS, MPH, is a nutrition and health consultant.

 Natural First Aid for Summer [4:50m]: Play Now | Download (1174)

I’m not talking about what it looks like when I’m left in charge of the grill at family summer cookouts. Tongs in hand, I typically try really hard not to think about the pig lips my brother assures me are in the 12-for-a-dollar hot dogs that Aunt Minnie brought—and they end up neglected and charred.

No, I’m pondering our current food system and agricultural production methods that are big contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Over the past three or four years, I have been working hard to reduce my own footprint across many fronts and I realize how many trade-offs we all wrestle with as we consider behavior and lifestyle changes. Read the rest of this entry »