Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:WFM)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2019 to Apr 2024
Company spotlights best in class supplier partners for outstanding
innovation, responsible sourcing and commitment to quality standards
Last night, Whole Foods Market revealed the winners of its
coveted annual Supplier Awards, the company’s highest honors for
producer partners that embody its mission and core
values. Out of thousands of Whole Foods Market suppliers nationwide,
fewer than 50 have received one of these distinguished awards.
Two all-star producers earned the grocer’s top “Supplier of the Year”
award for outstanding all-around performance:
-
Pitman
Family Farms (Perishables) – for its deep commitment to animal
welfare, leadership in non-GMO-fed meat production and dedication to
quality. In addition to raising chickens that meet Steps 3, 4 and 5 on
the 5-Step™
Animal Welfare Rating System, Pitman Family Farms recently
developed a new crossbreed of chicken that is better suited to an
outdoor environment and, most recently, was the first supplier to earn
approval to label its meat “Non-GMO Fed.”
-
Suja
Juice (Non-Perishables) – for combining expertise in
mixology, high-pressure pasteurization technology and ethical sourcing
to reinvent the fresh juice category, and for partnering with Whole
Foods Market to co-create Suja Elements™, an exclusive line of
mission-driven, cold-pressed smoothies at value prices. The brand
donates to nonprofits 20 cents from every bottle sold as part of the
Suja Elements Cause Collective™.
“Shoppers trust Whole Foods Market to uphold the highest quality,
ingredient and sourcing standards in the industry, and our suppliers go
to great lengths to help us deliver on that promise every day,” said
Edmund LaMacchia, Whole Foods Market’s global vice president of
procurement, perishables. “Our Supplier Award winners set the gold
standard for producers in the industry, and we’re proud to celebrate
their achievements.”
In addition to its two “Supplier of the Year” honorees, Whole Foods
Market recognized its cream-of-the-crop supplier partners in 16
categories that highlight several areas of achievement, including
product innovation, environmental stewardship, ethical sourcing and
excellence in quality standards and assurance.
“Every one of our supplier partners adds flavor, character and integrity
to our stores, whether they’re dedicated to land conservation,
sustainable fishing methods or simply creating the best-tasting product
on our shelves,” said Jim Speirs, Whole Foods Market’s global vice
president of procurement, non-perishables. “We’re thankful for their
drive, true partnership and commitment to growing their business with
Whole Foods Market.”
The retailer revealed its Supplier Award winners at last night’s
reception in Austin, Texas, at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel. Additional
honorees include:
Dedication to Responsible Sourcing:
-
Alaffia
– for the company’s commitment to higher purpose in all aspects
of business – from providing fair wages and advancing gender equality
for women in West Africa, who produce its fair trade ingredients, to
supporting Whole Planet Foundation’s poverty alleviation efforts.
Outstanding Innovation:
-
Simmons
Pet Food – for its extensive research, product development and
collaboration with Whole Foods Market to create the first store brand
line of entirely grain-free, wet pet foods for the retailer’s Whole
Paws® brand.
New Product Innovation:
-
Gotham
Greens – for creating a first-of-its-kind
rooftop greenhouse garden on Whole Foods Market’s Brooklyn store. The
garden provides customers fresh, delicious salad items while reducing
food miles, recycling 100 percent of water used and using integrated
pest management practices.
Environmental Stewardship:
-
Alter
Eco Foods – for the brand’s long history of responsible
sourcing, and for launching its fair trade truffle line in innovative,
compostable packaging – all the way down to each candy wrapper – that
could degrade easily in both home and commercial compost operations.
Best New Product:
-
Brown
Cow – for helping Whole Foods Market reinvent the yogurt
category with the exclusive launch and stunning success of its Non-GMO
Project Verified Greek yogurt, the first-ever conventional non-GMO
verified yogurt on the market.
Organic and Non-GMO Supply Chain Commitment:
-
Dr.
Bronner’s Magic Soaps – for strong commitment to organic and
non-GMO ingredient sourcing and support for GMO labeling transparency.
Dr. Bronner’s donated more than $2.3 million and rallied dozens of
fellow suppliers to support “Yes” on 522 in Washington state, a GMO
labeling ballot initiative that Whole Foods Market also endorsed. The
company also produced a “Yes on 522” soap bottle label to prove that
labeling foods would not drive up costs.
Best Partnership:
-
The
Xerces Society – for its tireless advocacy and research
to protect pollinators like honeybees and monarch butterflies, which
are vital to the global food supply, for its partnership with Whole
Foods Market to raise awareness and funds for research through the
“Share the Buzz” campaign, and for its work to help suppliers use
pollinator-friendly sourcing and production methods.
Excellence in Cheese:
-
Vermont
Creamery – for commitment to premium quality products,
supporting team member education, for partnering with Whole Foods
Market to develop exclusive maple syrup and sea Salt butter and
vanilla crème fraiche. The brand is also recognized for its
contribution to sustainable agriculture through a new commercial goat
dairy with support from Evergreen Conservation Partners and Whole
Foods Market’s Local
Producer Loan Program.
Outstanding Wine and Beer Supplier:
-
Natural
Merchants – for importing only the finest organically grown
and produced wines, including no-sulfite-added and biodynamic choices,
and for its environmental stewardship and commitment to supporting
family-owned wineries. Top brands include Spartico, VERTVS, Bodegas
Iranzo and Cantine Pizzolato.
Commodity Ingredients:
-
Blue
Diamond Growers – for consistent, high quality almond
products, excellent communication and partnership to meet Whole Foods
Market’s business needs, and for leadership in the conservation of
honeybees and other pollinators that play an important role in the
global food supply.
Excellence in Product Quality:
-
Driscoll’s
(Perishables) – for consistently delivering exceptional
quality, service and outstanding flavor that shoppers crave in an
important and beloved category – berries.
-
RAW SEAFOOD (Non-perishables) – for innovation, responsiveness,
flexibility and always investing in high quality and service.
Product with a Purpose:
-
Del
Monaco Foods – for its strong alignment with
Whole Foods Market’s missions – from sourcing local and organic
products to supporting Whole Planet Foundation and Whole Kids
Foundation – and for being a go-to partner in food safety and
transparency for more than 13 years.
Excellence in Standards:
-
Kvaroy Fiskeoppdrett,
AS – for delivering premium quality farmed salmon that is
third-party audited to Whole Foods Market’s industry-leading
aquaculture standards. Based in Kvaroy, a small island off the coast
of northwestern Norway, this family-run fishery is the epitome of
community, integrity and standards, driving an exceptional product.
Outstanding Quality Assurance:
-
Trace
Register – for creating a tool to track Whole Foods Market’s
seafood purchases from source to store, ensuring quality, safety and
sustainability for customers, and for its partnership in training and
assisting producers and buyers on traceability.
Distinguished Service:
-
Fair
Trade USA – for outstanding commitment to
improving the lives of farmers and farmworkers, and for evolving its
work to expand the reach of the Fair Trade and Whole Trade Guarantee
programs, all while maintaining the highest integrity. With Fair Trade
USA’s support, Whole Foods Market continues to offer shoppers more
high quality, ethically sourced products that benefit the people and
communities that produce them.
Special Recognition:
-
Ocean
Beauty – for consistently delivering outstanding wild Alaskan
salmon and halibut that meet Whole Foods Market’s strict
specifications, and for partnering with port buyers to ensure
fishermen are recognized and treated with respect.
-
Myrna Fossum – for sharing her deep passion and incredible
experience of sensory evaluation, and for teaching Whole Foods Market
team members how to use their senses to help improve products.
Whole Foods MarketLiz Burkhart, 512-542-0682Liz.Burkhart@wholefoods.com