Whole Foods Market Names Supplier All-Star Awards of 2023
Whole Foods Market announced the recipients of its highly anticipated Supplier All-Star Awards for 2023. The 16 brands recognized exemplify excellence through quality, innovation, value, and sustainability, while enhancing the shopping experience in stores across the country and supporting Whole Foods Market’s purpose to nourish people and the planet.
This year’s awardees represent a diverse array of brands that have left an incredible mark on Whole Foods Market’s aisles, ranging from 4 to 40 years on the retailer’s shelves. As Whole Foods Market celebrates the 12th anniversary of these awards, it underscores the company’s commitment to recognizing and celebrating outstanding partners.
“We are proud to shine a spotlight on this committed group of suppliers and the remarkable contributions they’ve made to enriching our customer’s shopping experiences, advancing our purpose, and pushing the boundaries of excellence within the industry,” said Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, chief merchandising and marketing officer. “These suppliers embody the spirit of collaboration and innovation that Whole Foods Market was built upon more than 40 years ago. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to this year’s Supplier All-Stars for their well-deserved recognition.”
The recipients of the Supplier All-Star Awards are handpicked by a dedicated team of Whole Foods Market leaders, category experts, and merchants, spanning all departments and product categories, including Private Label, Produce, Specialty, Seafood, Meat, Grocery, Culinary, and Whole Body.
Whole Foods Market’s Supplier All-Stars for 2023 include:
– ALOHA
– Amylu Foods
– Atlantic Sea Farms
– Bridor
– Chelten House
– Dr. Bronner’s
– FoodMatch
– Forever Cheese
– Happy Dirt
– Health-Ade
– LaBelle Patrimoine
– Lundberg Family Farms
– Pacific Seafood
– Rainier Fruit Co
– Siete Family Foods
– Wölffer Estate Vineyard
Founded in 1980, Austin-based Whole Foods Market is the world’s leading natural and organic foods retailer and the first certified organic national grocer in the United States. Part of Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores, Whole Foods Market serves customers in more than 530 stores across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. To learn more about Whole Foods Market, please visit https://media.wholefoodsmarket.com/.
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Braga to Receive Grower of the Year Award at OGS
The Organic Grower Summit presented by Western Growers and OPN will honor longtime organic grower Rod Braga as the recipient of the sixth annual Grower of the Year award. Braga, president and CEO of Braga Fresh, was selected based on his ongoing commitment and dedication to excellence in organic production, organic industry leadership, and innovation.
The Grower of the Year award, sponsored by AGCO, will be presented to Braga as part of the keynote presentation at the Organic Grower Summit on Nov. 29-30 in Monterey, Calif. The Grower of the Year presentation is part of an extensive educational program designed to inform and engage organic producers and their service providers and supply chain partners.
“We are honored to present the annual Grower of the Year award to Rod Braga — truly a grower’s grower,” said Matt Seeley, CEO of Organic Produce Network. “His decades-long work exemplifies what hardworking, passionate organic farming means to the success of Sledge, regional sales director for AGCO. Previous winners of the award have been Jeff Huckaby, CEO of Grimmway Farms (2022); Vic Smith, CEO of JV Smith Company (2021); the Lundberg Family (2019); Thaddeus Barsotti of Capay Organic (2018); and Vernon Peterson of Peterson Family Farms (2017).
The sixth annual OGS is designed to provide information vital to organic growers and producers, including an overview of the opportunities and challenges in the production of organic fresh food.
In addition to the annual Grower of the Year award, the other keynote presentation at OGS 2023 will be Grower Roundtable: The State of Organic Growing. Panelists for the keynote roundtable include leadership from three prominent organic companies, who will be announced later this month.
Other educational sessions slated for OGS 2023 include:
- SOE Deadline Looms — Are You Ready?
- Understanding Evolving Production Challenges for Organic Growers
- Regenerative — What Does it Mean for Organic?
- Unlocking the Value of AI on the Digital Farming Journey
- Meet the Ag Sharks
- Roadmap to a Sustainable Pest Management Future for Organics
- How Organic Growers Are Using Ag Tech: Obstacles & Opportunities
OGS 2023 will be held Nov. 29-30 at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa in Monterey, Calif., and general registration is open. The sold-out OGS trade show floor will feature soil amendment, ag tech, food safety, packaging, and equipment exhibitors who will have the opportunity to connect with organic field production staff, supply chain managers, pest management advisors, and food safety experts.
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Whole Foods Celebrates 20 Years as Certified Organic Grocer
This year marks 20 years since Whole Foods Market attained organic retail certification. To date, the company offers more than 37,000 organic products across its stores and remains the only national retailer to hold this certification as organic grocer.
“Whole Foods Market is proud to celebrate 20 years as the only certified organic national grocer in the industry and continue our work to help grow and support the organic community,” said Jason Buechel, chief executive officer at Whole Foods Market. “Our Team Members work hard to ensure the organic integrity of our products all the way from the farm to customer selection from our shelves.”
Whole Foods Market has championed organic since before there was a National Organic Program and requires certification for organic label claims on all products it sells. The company’s belief in the importance of organic agriculture also goes above and beyond the sale of organic products, including playing an active role in helping to develop the USDA National Organic Program.
“We have a deep understanding of the environmental benefits sustainable farming methods like organic can bring and continue to work with our community to increase access to the organic market,” said Karen Christensen, senior vice president, merchandising for perishables & quality standards.
Whole Foods Market has a long legacy of supporting organic agriculture. As part of its broader strategy to invest in climate-smart agriculture, the company is working together with farmers, ranchers, scientists, and industry experts to increase access to the organic market. For decades, the company has supported organic advocacy groups like the Organic Trade Association and the Organic Farming and Research Foundation, as well as maintained leadership on USDA advisory committees, like the National Organic Standards Board.
“OFRF is deeply grateful to for the long-term partnership and financial support of Whole Foods; their support of our charitable organization over the last 30 years has directly enabled support of organic farmers across the North America through our on-farm research grants, grower education, and farmer advocacy,” said Brise Tencer, Executive Director, Organic Farming Research Foundation.
Whole Foods Market’s customers have helped support the growth of the organic marketplace, recognizing the positive impact organic farming can have on their health and the environment. As a result, the company continues to make comprehensive investments in organic agriculture to better support the producers seeking and maintaining organic certification.
Whole Foods Market continues to advocate for legislation supporting the adoption of organic and other climate-smart agricultural practices, while reducing infrastructural challenges and barriers to the market. The company joined OFRF and a broad group of signatories to endorse both the Strengthening Organic Agriculture Research Act in the House and the Organic Science and Research Investment Act in the Senate. Both pieces of legislation make meaningful investments into organic and sustainable agriculture through research, education, and extension initiatives. The legislation also calls for an evaluation of the economic impact organic agriculture has on rural and urban communities to help better understand the impact to producers, the environment, and on public health.
To learn more about Whole Foods Market’s organic commitment, visit our website at https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/quality-standards/organic.
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