Since 1986, Gaia Herbs has been committed to growing certified organic herbs.  Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, the Gaia Herb Farm is one of the largest medicinal herb farms in the United States, with some 50 crops growing on 250 acres of certified organic river bottom soil.

Tuscarora Organic Growers is a democratically-operated cooperative of more than 40 farms that was founded in 1988 in Hustontown, Pennsylvania. Growers are held to strict standards, spelled out in an 18-page set of guidelines covering harvest, grading, packing, storage and food safety. All of the partner farms are certified organic.

First constructed and planted in the spring of 2010, the Whole Foods Market Garden Project at Healing Place Women and Children’s Campus (both a homeless shelter and a long-term recovery program) in Louisville, Kentucky, has turned into a self-sustaining food system that provides fresh vegetables for the 200 residents and staff of the facility. With a large-scale vegetable garden, Healing Place is now able to incorporate a “plant-strong” eating approach, where it did not exist before. Also, the residents now enjoy the healing qualities of gardening, which ties in well with the overall mission and vision of the Healing Place.

Steve Whitmire’s family has been farming in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina since the early 1800’s.  As a kid, Steve’s chore was to look after the lone family cow.  Today Steve oversees a much larger herd of Angus/Braunvieh cattle on 1,000+ acres in Brasstown, North Carolina, ensuring they always have sufficient spring water, ample grass, freshly mixed feed and room to roam.

For over 35 years, Severino Pasta Company in Westmont, New Jersey, has been the place to find authentic, richly flavored pasta handmade with only the finest ingredients. Joseph and Anna Maria Severino learned the art of pasta making from Umberto Casoli, an artisanal pasta maker in Rome, Italy. In 1971, they returned to America with recipes in hand and introduced their uniquely handcrafted pasta products made from 100% Semolina flour, which are unsurpassed in texture, color and quality.

Pasta from local vendor Severino Pasta Company is currently available in our stores in the MidAtlantic and Northeast regions. We have great local offerings in all of our stores around the country. Ask a team member in your stores about what’s local in your neck of the woods.

Whole Foods Market at Short Pump (in Glen Allen, Virginia) answered the call in a big way when the Mid-Atlantic Region asked each store to start or adopt a community garden. Last Spring, the store opened the company’s first on-site community garden. Almost an acre in size, the Whole Foods Market Village Community Garden is located in the same development as the store. It serves as an outdoor classroom for area residents and school children with workshops and tours offered free of charge. Produce from the garden will soon be sold in the store and is already used in some prepared foods. The group that operates West Broad Village, Markel|Eagle Partners, LLC, offered the undeveloped land for the project. Team members maintain the garden with the help of a Richmond-based group called Backyard Farmer. The garden features an education area, 14 production beds, a fruit orchard, community rental plots and compost bins.

For over 60 years, Goodnight Brothers has been curing country hams in the cool crisp air of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Through a new partnership with Whole Foods Market and the North Carolina Natural Hog Growers Association, Bill Goodnight is producing traditionally dry cured Carolina Country Ham using fresh hams and pork bellies from local Global Animal Partnership Step 4-rated pig farms.

Available in our North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama stores.

Once an abandoned baseball diamond in the heart of Baltimore, The Meadow is now a thriving community garden and agricultural learning center created and maintained by the Mid-Atlantic Region of Whole Foods Market. Mark “Coach” Smallwood, Whole Foods Market’s local forager for this area, first discovered the neglected site in 2009 while walking his dogs around the neighborhood. After nearly a year of negotiation with Baltimore City, he was granted access to break ground on vegetable production.

Located almost equidistant between our Mt. Washington and Inner Harbor stores, Whole Foods Market team members are committed to maintaining the garden. With the help of our team members and a network of neighborhood volunteers, the space is regularly weeded, watered and harvested. Community plots are available, however most of the produce harvested weekly is donated to the local food bank.

“If you don’t know how to grow, it’s a great place to learn,” says Coach. “If you do know how to grow, it’s a great place to teach.”