Steve Wanta is the Executive Program Director for the Whole Planet Foundation. He oversees the existing portfolio of microfinance programs and analyzes new projects for funding.

Conversations can change the world.  It was one such conversation between Muhammad Yunus and John Mackey in 2004 that created the concept of Whole Planet Foundation, which supports microcredit in communities where Whole Foods Market sources products. Starting with just one team member, Philip Sansone, working in Costa Rica and Guatemala, the support from customers and team members has been so generous that we will have expanded to nearly 60 countries by the end of 2011. Thank you!

To learn more about what we are doing, watch this latest edition of Dispatches from the Field, this time from Indonesia.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bubbling hot springs, breathtaking waterfalls, scenic volcanic mountain ranges, crystal clear water. No, I’m not talking about Hawai’i…I’m actually describing Iceland. Okay, I’ll admit it, I was surprised too. Until very recently, the only Icelandic export I was even remotely familiar with was the indie music icon, Björk. And even so, I only know a few of her songs.

But lately it seems I’ve been seeing more and more foods from Iceland on our store shelves; and the more I’ve learned about them, the more I’ve learned about the country, since their food, culture and traditions are so closely tied together.

For example, the Icelandic people are very proud of their traditional approach to raising animals and how that translates to the purity and flavor of their foods. For example, all Icelandic dairy stock are raised in a free-range environment and graze on natural pastures. They are not given feed with added animal by-products, nor are they given antibiotics or added growth hormones. Also, did you know that dairy cows in Iceland are unique to Iceland and they are the only type of dairy cow in the country? Their origins date back to the cattle brought from Norway during the settlement of Iceland in the 10th century and there has been no import of dairy cows since then.

Read the rest of this entry »

Indulge your spring appetite for fresh, organic strawberries today. While supplies last, pick up a pound of organic strawberries for $1.99 per pound. Delight your family and friends by having strawberries for every meal this weekend. Act fast, though. This sale is today only and available while supplies last. Enjoy!

And be sure to let us know the many ways that you enjoyed these luscious bursts of spring berry flavor.

This may be your last chance to win a slew of “green” household cleaning products, but it’s never too late to make the switch from conventional to “green” cleaning. As for the giveaway, you’ve got until May 10^th to enter a comment on our giveaway blog post (not this post) letting us know what inspired you to make the switch to a greener clean.

This giveaway will include everything from paper towels and bath tissue to sponges, trash bags, laundry detergent and spray cleaner. Who couldn’t use a care package like that?

Here’s the rundown on some of the products that will be featured in each gift package:

365 EVERYDAY VALUE®

Our 365 Everyday Value products will clean your clothes, your dishes and your home – all without emptying your pocketbook. Plus, we’ve made some recent improvements in our line of paper products, like using 100% recycled paper and whitening without chlorine. Our household cleaning products have your home, and the environment, in mind.

Read the rest of this entry »

Cypress Grove’s Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese is world renowned for its creamy, mild taste.  Its smoothness comes from the quality of the goat’s milk sourced from small pasture-based family farms.  And its name comes from the location of the creamery—the rolling hills of foggy Humboldt County in northern California, where the redwoods meet the Pacific.

Because Humboldt Fog is encased in an edible mold rind, its taste and appearance change while aging.  Between the cheese and the rind, a creamy layer grows as enzymes in the mold digest the milk proteins in the cheese.  The more the cheese ages, the larger the layer.  The process is technically called proteolysis, but we just call it delicious.  As it ages, the appearance of the cheese changes from firm and moist with a very white rind, to a more crumbly texture with a marbled rind.  At the same time, the flavor goes from a clean, citrus finish to one with earthier notes.  Check out these photos of the cheesemaking process at Cypress Grove:

Read the rest of this entry »

I am constantly impressed by our Whole Foods Market meat suppliers! I just got off the phone with Joe Pozzi from Pozzi Ranch Lamb who has been selling locally raised lamb to our Northern California stores for the last 4 years. More recently, they’ve expanded to our Pacific Northwest stores. As I was talking with Joe, I was struck by how much he cares. He cares about his lambs, he cares about natural resources and the environment, he cares about the ranchers he works with, and he cares about his consumers.

Joe described his goals in life as being “to keep healthy animals, healthy natural resources and family farms viable,” and he’s certainly leading by example. Joe is a fourth generation sheep producer in Sonoma County and in partnership with his daughter, Alexandra, raises pastured lambs for Pozzi Ranch Lamb. Their lambs graze on the lush hillsides and valleys along the Pacific Coast in Valley Ford, California and are raised without antibiotics, ever, and with no added hormones.  They raise Dorset, Romney, Suffolk and Hampshire crossbreeds that are ideal sheep for their environment because they are very gregarious, are good mothers, milk well and thrive in the wet coastal areas where the ranches are located.

Read the rest of this entry »

Two of my favorite ways to celebrate spring are eating lots (and lots) of organic strawberries and searching out exceptional seasonal produce at value prices. Whole Foods Market is making it possible to do both this Friday. Come to your local store to stock up on luscious, ripe, organic strawberries priced at $1.99 for a whole pound. Available while supplies lasts. Our delicious sale strawberries originate in southern California, where the crop is currently at peak ripeness.

Beyond taste and price, do you need a few more good reasons to indulge? Strawberries are superstars on the nutrition front. Just eight berries can provide as much Vitamin C as an orange, and you won’t have to peel anything. They are high in manganese and fiber and low in sodium. In addition, strawberries are packed with antioxidants and plant compounds that help keep cholesterol levels in healthy ranges.

Read the rest of this entry »

Spring can be a busy time but with a little planning, you can easily prepare a week of budget-friendly and family-friendly meals and even have tasty leftovers for lunch. To find out how, just follow along:

MONDAY: Veggie Monday

Have breakfast for dinner by making a frittata loaded with sautéed spinach, asparagus and onions plus crumbled organic goat cheese. Serve with whole-grain toast.

TUESDAY: Fast Fat Tuesday

Warm a few cans of red beans with Cajun/Creole seasoning (and cooked sausage, optional) to ladle over heat-and-serve frozen brown rice, with 365 Everyday Value® frozen greens sautéed with garlic. Remember the hot sauce!

WEDNESDAY: Street Food Savvy

Enjoy traditional Greek flavors in Gyro-Style Lamb with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce over Quinoa. Halve the recipe or pack the leftovers in lunches.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s silly, but I feel an almost childlike joy at the sight of the first sweet pea bloom of the spring. I’m not alone either – my whole family has a place in their own personal cycle of seasons for this small, delicate, softly fragrant flower. The bed next to the kitchen is the center of the sweet pea universe in our yard. Every year, the blossoms we don’t cut reseed the 3 by 6 foot area for the following year. For my wife, Erin, the bed feeds the bathroom bud vases for the last six weeks of spring. For my kids, unevenly cut bouquets with short and long stems wrapped in a damp paper towel go to a delighted grandma. For me, sweet peas remind me (sadly) that daffodils are finished and tulips almost so, but also (happily) that the peas we eat are almost ready.

Peas are the best garden plant on the planet if you live in a place that has a long cool spring. Even if you don’t and you time the planting right, shelling peas are one of the most rewarding crops to harvest fresh out of a garden. Like corn, English peas are best served right after harvest – the sugars convert to starch the longer you get from the harvest date before eating. Peas are also incredibly prolific producers. A single snow pea plant, for example, can produce several pounds of peas in a season.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mother’s Day is right around the corner (Sunday, May 8^th this year), and as you start planning the perfect day for mom, don’t forget the flowers! Of course, there are many ways to let mom know she’s special — whether it’s a handmade card or breakfast in bed (to name just a few). And here in the floral office, we think a bright and cheerful array of flowers, made just for her, is definitely one gift as unique as she is!

Now don’t be intimidated —you don’t need any experience to make a beautiful arrangement. All you need is a clean vase or container full of fresh water (we love to use mason jars), a sharp pair of scissors and your fresh flowers. There are a ton of great options to choose from, but here are just a few of our team’s favorite ways to mix and match for a quick and easy (yet lovely) arrangement.

Read the rest of this entry »