We love our producers, suppliers and vendors and we think most of them have some pretty interesting stories behind their products too. We’re sharing some of our favorites here in an ongoing series.
At Cucina Antica, it’s all about the tomatoes — ripe, farm-fresh San Marzanos grown in Southern Italy, where rich volcanic soil yields some of the world’s tastiest tomatoes.
Chef/Owner Neil Fusco, a native of Italy, knows what a great San Marzano should taste like. His family has grown the prized plum tomato variety for 200 years! Neil works with the same farmers year-round and personally visits their farms to ensure the best quality.
At age 7, when Neil’s mother first taught him to cook, he learned that creating perfect tomato sauce is an art of simplicity. “You’ve got to keep it simple,” Neil says. “Our first ingredient is San Marzanos, and that’s what really stands out.”
Cucina Antica tomato sauce is cooked in small batches using a traditional method with no added water, sugar or tomato paste or purée. The tomatoes are gently crushed and minimally cooked. “Our philosophy is to cook it just enough to highlight the true flavor of the ingredients,” Neil says.
Recently, Cucina Antica also introduced a line of organic salad dressings and ketchup, created with the same emphasis on farm-fresh flavor and simple ingredients.
We love our producers, suppliers and vendors and we think most of them have some pretty interesting stories behind their products too. We’re sharing some of our favorites here in an ongoing series.
Nature’s Path has blazed an organic trail since CEO Arran Stephens founded the company in 1985. Along the way, he’s repeated the same mantra: “Always leave the soil better than you found it.”
The successful company, now 400 workers strong, has remained fiercely independent and family owned, guided by Arran and his adult son and daughter, Arjan and Joyti.
Nature’s Path was an early supporter of the Non-GMO Project, has reduced packaging waste with its innovative Eco-Pacs and EnviroBoxes and has always supported small farms. Arran explains, “One of our main initiatives is to increase organic cropland and support family farms.”
From granola bars to cereals to waffles, Nature’s Path is constantly creating deliciously nourishing organic products while seeking new ways to give back to communities.
We love our producers, suppliers and vendors and we think most of them have some pretty interesting stories behind their products too. We’re sharing some of our favorites here in an ongoing series.
Nicole Bernard Dawes’ mom ran a natural foods store and her dad founded a potato chip company, so it’s only natural she is now on a mission to satisfy families with Late July Organic Snacks.
We love our producers, suppliers and vendors and we think most of them have some pretty interesting stories behind their products too. We’re sharing some of our favorites here in an ongoing series.
With Organicville, no food lover is left behind. Whether your diet is vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or you simply prefer to go organic, Rachel Kruse has created something incredibly delicious just for you.
We love our producers, suppliers and vendors and we think most of them have some pretty interesting stories behind their products too. We’re sharing some of our favorites here in an ongoing series.
Frontier knows the quality of spices can make or break a recipe — just a dash of spice can make a world of difference. Frontier focuses on sourcing the best to ensure that home cooks and home bakers can perfect flavors in recipes when using spices like Frontier Fair Trade Ceylon Cinnamon in Sugar-Coated Gingerbread Twists.
To make Theo’s organic, Whole Trade® chocolate bars, sipping chocolates and roasted cocoa nibs, every single cocoa bean is roasted in a vintage 1930s ball roaster from Germany. In fact, nearly all of the machines in their chocolate factory are recycled and recalibrated from artisan factories in Europe. Just like the lengths that went into sourcing equipment, there is utmost emphasis on sourcing ingredients.
“We built a company to make great chocolate and to have a huge impact on the people who produce cocoa,” says Theo Chocolate CEO Joe Whinney. From bean to bar, the folks at Theo hold themselves to exceedingly high standards, scrutinize every step of the process and ruminate over every decision, big or small. Fair trade, organic cocoa; local mint, cherries and almonds; recyclable (and beautiful!) packaging are just a few of the choices they’ve made to make the world better for producers, the planet and chocolate lovers everywhere. All of Theo’s attention to detail has earned the company numerous awards and accolades since they began in 2007.
“It’s a labor of love,” says Debra Music, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We are acutely aware of the responsibility we have to create positive lasting impact.” As Music says, “Chocolate is an amazing vehicle for educating people, because as a culture we LOVE chocolate!”
We love our producers, suppliers and vendors and we think most of them have some pretty interesting stories behind their products too. We’ll be sharing some of our favorites here in an ongoing series.
Chuck Eggert, founder of Pacific Natural Foods in Oregon, has an extensive book collection that includes cookbooks dating back to an English cookbook from the 17th century. This helps explain the philosophy behind Pacific, a company that began by producing soymilk and now offers soups, broths, non-dairy beverages and more. “If you look at most historical recipes, they never had more than five to ten ingredients,” says Eggert.
We love our producers, suppliers and vendors and we think most of them have some pretty interesting stories behind their products too. We’ll be sharing some of our favorites here in an ongoing series.
In the heart of Oregon’s lush Willamette Valley, Bill and Karla Chambers founded Stahlbush Island Farms as newlyweds with just two crops, sugar beets and pumpkins. Since then, they’ve raised four children on the farm and have expanded to grow dozens of crops — including fruits, vegetables and grains — for their frozen foods, organic canned purees and organic pet food.
Recognizing the need for high quality fruits and vegetables, the Chambers’ elected to enter the frozen foods market by picking and processing their produce on site. Their fruits and vegetables are harvested at the very peak of ripeness and flash-frozen within four hours to preserve the just-picked goodness in their frozen offerings.
The Chambers’ have a forward-thinking philosophy that applies to more than just their products. The company created environmentally friendly freezer bags and purposely did not patent the technology so that other companies can follow their lead. They also turn agricultural waste into energy with the first biogas plant of its kind in North America. The plant produces enough energy to power the farm and approximately 1,100 homes. Leftover agricultural matter from the biogas plant is then used to fertilize their crops. Vegetables powering vegetables — talk about going full circle!
Check out the slideshow and let us know what you think about the Chambers’ innovative farming methods by leaving a comment below.
We love our producers, suppliers and vendors and we think most of them have some pretty interesting stories behind their products too. We’ll be sharing some of our favorites here in an ongoing series. Read on for a chance to win a $50 gift card.
Fig Food makes delicious soup. If you’ve tasted it, you may already know this — but did you know that in every batch of organic, kosher soup, someone has thought about how to pack in the most organic plants possible? “The choices we made around being kosher, being organic, using a new package; it all comes from my own personal passion and wanting to leave a legacy of making the world a better place,” says Joel Henry, founder and owner of Fig Food.
Every choice that Henry has made can be traced to this philosophy, from the seasoning of their soup, the decision to go organic to naming the soups after the areas from which they draw flavor inspiration. (Tuscan White Bean, Yucatan Black Bean and Umbrian Lentil are a few examples.) “Part of making the world a better place is about reconnection; connecting to the farmer, connecting to other people,” says Henry. “I thought if we named the soups with cool names, people would explore the regions to see what they stood for.”
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER CASEY FROM ANNAPOLIS, MD. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS!
We love our producers, suppliers and vendors and we think most of them have some pretty interesting stories behind their products too. We’ll be sharing some of our favorites here in an ongoing series. Read on for a chance to win a $50 gift card.
“We go out to the grocery store wearing our Organic Valley hats and someone will come up to us and say, ‘Oh, I love your stuff, it’s the best, thanks!’ and it feels great.”
In scenic Fairfield, Vermont, young farmers Tyler and Melanie Webb run Stony Pond Farm, an organic dairy farm that supplies milk to Organic Valley. Their road to farming was a little unorthodox. Neither Tyler nor Melanie have a background in farming; they both grew up in suburbs of New York. Tyler’s first interest in farming came from studying anthropology in college. Through taking a soils class, he studied plant and soil science and worked for the government for a few years before taking the leap to start Stony Pond Farm. “Tyler found this farm and it was a rundown old dairy farm that together we brought back to life,” says Melanie.
Welcome to Whole Story, the official blog of Whole Foods Market.
Don’t know us? In a nutshell, we are the world's leading natural and organic grocer and we’re passionate about healthy food and a healthy planet. Learn more about us.
We’re lucky to have a whole bunch of smart, passionate people doing incredible things in areas like organics, supporting local growers, green practices, fair trade, micro-lending and all kinds of food related stuff. We’ll use this blog to share some of the cool things going on around here.
Of course, what makes this blog really exciting is YOU — so join the conversation!
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