Neil Fusco knows tomatoes. A trained chef and restaurateur, he is a native of the legendary San Marzano region of Italy. Growing up around some of the best tomatoes in the world, it is fitting that Neil would eventually come up with pasta sauces of his own.

“Since the 1800’s in southern Italy, my family has farmed the world’s best tomatoes, the San Marzano variety. These are the tomatoes that I use to make my Cucina Antica brand of cooking sauces as well as my new Monte Bene pasta sauces.” The tomatoes are grown at the foot of Mount Vesuvius in southern Italy, giving the San Marzano tomatoes a truly light, fresh and sweet flavor. Neil’s original brand, Cucina Antica, is sold at Whole Foods Market stores nationwide and is made from 100% DOP San Marzano tomatoes. It is one of our best selling all natural, artisanal pasta sauces.

Neil has now taken his passion for pasta sauce to another level, with a new brand that blends San Marzano tomatoes with locally grown tomatoes from farms in New Jersey. Dubbed “Monte Bene” or “Mountain of Good,” Neil’s new sauce is not only more affordable but it also reflects his desire to promote ethically and sustainably sourced products.

You may be thinking: “New Jersey tomatoes? You gotta be kidding me!” New Jersey is actually the birthplace of the U.S. tomato industry. For a century, millions of cans of brand name soups were made with tomatoes grown, processed and canned in New Jersey. The desire for lower cost raw materials and higher profits moved much of the tomato industry to the sunny valleys of California, leaving behind both farmers and boarded-up factories. Read the rest of this entry »

Picture this: it’s a hot August afternoon. You just ran a few miles and you are in need of some replenishment. You swing by your friendly, neighborhood Whole Foods Market to re-fuel. In front of the beverage cooler, you pause for a moment to consider the myriad items we carry. Like many of our customers, you might reach for one of our familiar brands that you know and trust – Naked Juice.

And that is a good choice. Naked Juice has taken a lead in the food industry in terms of scrutinizing their carbon footprint. They are making some cool choices to improve the sustainability of their production facility, their juice bottles and even the tasty stuff inside the bottles. Here’s how.

Their first big move will actually be that: a relocation into a brand new LEED certified production facility. This means they have met some pretty stringent criteria for water and energy efficiency, use of recycled building materials and waste reduction. Whole Foods Market has also gone through this certification with some of our new stores and it’s quite an accomplishment! Read the rest of this entry »

I get to see a lot of cool products in my job. One of the coolest products we are currently carrying at Whole Foods Market is Siggi’s Skyr. Not only is it a great yogurt but the back story is awesome.

Skyr is Icelandic-style yogurt, a traditional delicacy that is thicker and higher in protein than most yogurts. It is made from skim milk and has almost no fat. Think Greek yogurt that has adapted to survive harsh arctic winters … hardier and refreshingly sour, with 16 grams of protein, zero saturated fat and just 120 calories per 6 oz serving.

Siggi Hilmarsson grew up in Iceland and was homesick one holiday season a few years ago. He had grown up hearing about his grandmother’s skyr and decided to try his hand at making some of his own. In 2006, he started selling his own brand of skyr. Read the rest of this entry »

My wife is one tough customer. Guardian of our children’s health, keeper of the family budget, she is my culinary moral compass. My wife is what we call a “core customer” – keen to trends but rooted in natural living. So when a Whole Foods Market new item appears in our home fridge or pantry, I know we have a hit on our hands. And sitting there on the top shelf of the fridge last week was a 64 oz carton of So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s safe to say that here at Whole Foods Market, herbal and botanical ingredients are a pretty basic part of what we are about. We even have a whole section of the store dedicated to medicinal herbs and supplements, called Whole Body. And over in the beverage section, some forward-thinking vendors are using herbal and botanical ingredients to make functional drinks more interesting.

One such product line is Solixir, a blend of sparkling spring water, fruit juice and a unique formulation in each of its three drinks: Blackberry Chamomile, Orange Maté and Pomegranate Ginger. Solixir was developed by an expert herbalist, Amanda McQuade Crawford. Amanda says, “Solixir is a truly exceptional drink with natural botanicals like Lemon Balm, Panax Ginseng, and Elderberry that I have been prescribing to my clients for 20 years.”

Solixir, with over 1,700mg of these standardized herbal ingredients per can, has no added sugar and stacks up at less than 60 calories. According to Amanda: “At Solixir and in my own life, we keep rooted in respect for ancient wisdom, growing with current science to make sure our beverages deliver on the promise of herbal medicine and the needs of consumers for a beneficial and great tasting drink.”

My personal favorite is the “Relax” Blackberry Chamomile. I am a big fan of chamomile, especially after a long day at work, and I like the mild tartness of blackberry and lemon juice. Not too sweet and just a little sparkling. This is good stuff! You can find Solixir in most of our stores.