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.
CONGRATULATION TO OUR WINNER PATRICIA FROM ANN ARBOR, MI. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR GREAT 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.
What does it take to run a creamery? If you’re Jennifer Bice, it takes lots of care, concern and meticulous attention to detail. The organic creamery behind Eros Organic Greek Yogurt, is operated 100% on solar power from two acres of solar panels. Running on these solar panels is “equal to taking 76 cars off the road, planting 110 trees or powering over 50 homes, “ Bice says. “Creameries use tremendous amounts of energy so we’re constantly looking at new ways that we can deliver the product in a more sustainable fashion.” In addition to solar energy, the creamery uses motion-sensored lights that only come on when needed in order to minimize lighting usage, has electric car charging stations (also operated by solar power) and a computer-operated water system that measures the exact amount of water needed to clean their operational equipment.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER MARY FROM MADISON, WI. THANKS FOR ALL THE 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.
Doug Beretta is a family man. He’s one of four generations in Beretta Family Organic Dairy, a supplier of organic milk for Wallaby Yogurt. The dairy is based on a ranch that was bought in 1948 by Beretta’s grandfather, where the pasture-raised cows graze today. According to Beretta, the advantages of pasture-raising their cows are many. “You’re able to utilize your own land for feed. Organic feed costs are starting to get very expensive so we’re able to use our land to produce as much of the feed as we can.” In addition to the nutritional value of feeding cows on the pasture, “being on grass instead of concrete is a lot easier on the feet and legs of cows,” says Beretta.
Wallaby’s founders were looking for family farms and pasture-based dairies with this type of commitment to their cows and their milk, so partnering with Beretta Family Organics made perfect sense.
What do you think about the changes that Beretta Family Organic Dairy made when they switched from conventional to organic processes? Watch the slideshow above and leave a comment with your answer by September 9th. One comment will be chosen at random to win a $50 gift card to our stores.
Click here to check out Wallaby’s products or visit our stores to taste them for yourself. We carry their full line of organic yogurt as well as their outstanding sour cream!
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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