Our relationship with Great Lakes Glads, a family-owned and operated farm, has really grown over the last four to five seasons. The Mayer family has refined planting and cutting schedules to such a high degree of efficiency that they can fill truckloads each day…at peak production (roughly June until early October) they can cut, cool, sort, bunch and pack half-a-million stems EVERY DAY! And on a really crazy day, three-quarters-of-a-million stems!

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Our South Region has joined with Farmer D Organics to recycle the green waste from select stores and bring it to Longwood Plantation where Mike Smith and Daron Joffe, a.k.a. Farmer D, transform it into biodynamic organic compost.

One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is to seek out new and innovative products for you, our customers. That means I see literally hundreds of new products every month hoping to make it onto Whole Foods Market’s shelves. Many of them don’t make the cut. However, the new pizza and pasta meal kits from Ian’s definitely caught my eye. First, they’re made for kids…which is a hot trend right now. Just look around our store, kid-friendly products abound. But what sets Ian’s apart is their recognition of special diets. Realizing the growing population of kids who have dietary allergies to gluten, wheat, dairy, and eggs, when Ian’s developed their pasta and pizza meals kits, they created two options… a special diets version alongside the standard variety. Designed with kids in mind, these kits provide a hands-on experience. With the help of an adult, a kid can assemble and cook their very own dish. Each kit comes with all the ingredients necessary to make a pizza or pasta meal for one. And because they’re not frozen or refrigerated, just stock them in your cupboard until you need them…that’s convenience…something many of us place a premium on nowadays.

Interested in other cool products from Ian’s? Check out their Cookie Buttons… guess what…they come in two versions as well.

If all that wasn’t enough, you got an otter. As in Andy the Otter, the venerable mascot for Ian’s kids products. And who doesn’t love an otter? Not only is Andy on the package, he leads the SuperFit Kid program online, where he combines fun and prizes with education and tips for developing healthy habits.

These Ian’s items are in store now so check them out.