Read on for a chance to win a CD set of Putumayo’s best-selling French collection, available in most Whole Foods Market Stores. Dan Storper is the CEO and founder of Putumayo World Music. UPDATE: Thanks to everyone that entered.

Read on for a chance to win a CD set of Putumayo’s best-selling French collection, available in most Whole Foods Market Stores. Dan Storper is the CEO and founder of Putumayo World Music. UPDATE: Thanks to everyone that entered.
Did you catch the new reality cooking competition, “The Taste,” on ABC? Visit ABC.com for full episodes.
Catch the new reality cooking competition, “The Taste,” on Tuesdays, (8-10 p.m. EST) on ABC. We’re excited to have some of the show’s participants – competitors and mentor-judges alike – share their stories with readers of the Whole Story blog.
I like to think of the Good Food Awards as the premiere red carpet event for folks who love food. It's a talent-filled event that celebrates everything right in the growing real food movement.
“Pin It.” Yeah, you know what I’m talking about! If you don’t, then you should. Pinterest is only one of the most beautiful and engrossing sites on the Internet. Why’s that? Because it allows you to curate, organize and share all the gorgeous images and fabulous ideas that you find on the web. When you “pin” an image to your “pinboard,” it keeps the URL of the original website so you can go back for the details later. Like when you’re ready to tackle that great DIY project you pinned.
You know what’s sweet? Giving a Whole Foods Market gift card. You know what’s even sweeter, giving a gift card and then getting a little something special for yourself.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS KERI FROM AUSTIN, TX, SUDHA FROM MINNEAPOLIS, MN, MICHELE FROM LOUISVILLE, KY, CHARLOTTE FROM EUCLID, OH AND JESSICA FROM HALETHROPE, MD. THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR COMMENTS!
Flying into Switzerland I am always amazed by the mountains. The world famous Alps, home to mountaineers, skiers and even stories about elephants crossing (not sure how this ever happened). In my visits to the country I have always been impressed by the pristine wonder of nature.
Trick or Treat! To many of us, those words are terrifying. Not because of the all those ghosts and goblins wandering around. It’s because of the shocking amount of candy in our midst. All those horrifyingly unnatural artificial colors and flavors and all those preservatives better suited for a mummy than a mommy. Eeeeekkk!
While October is Non-GMO Month, today, 10-10-10, is Non-GMO Day! What are you doing to celebrate? Here are some ideas:
Read on for a chance to win a case of Nature's Path Organic Granola Bars for telling us what you think about GMOs.
Get Up to Speed…
Every October thousands of high profile companies launch expensive ad campaigns designed to support “the cure” as part of Breast Cancer Awareness month. Retail shelves are lined with everything from pink mixers to pink toenail polish.
October 2010 is our first (and hopefully annual) Non-GMO Month, an event that introduces and celebrates the “Non-GMO Project Verified” seal, a first-of-its-kind certification program that Whole Foods Market fully supports.
In honor of our 30th birthday, some of our vendors gave us the best present ever - new products that make us (and soon hopefully, you) want to get the party started! We're honored to have built partnerships with these creative and passionate folks.
Are you planning an Oktoberfest celebration? We doubt anyone can top the ten million pints of beer and more than ¾ million sausages consumed at Munich's Oktoberfest. Of course, they have a reputation to uphold as the birthplace of Oktoberfest back in 1810 celebrating of the wedding of Crown Prince Luitpold I and Princess Theressa of Bavaria.

One of our seven Core Values is "Caring about our Communities and our Environment" and we embody that Core Value by doing our part to lessen our impact on the environment, and by giving back to the communities where we do business. In honor of this Core Value, we'd like to give a "shout out" to a few of our vendor suppliers who created products especially for our 30th birthday, with portions of the sales donated to organizations and foundations supporting the health and well-being of our greater global community!

You asked for them, and here they are; the 30 entries that won a special place in our heart and a trip for two to Austin, Texas to help us celebrate our 30th birthday.

It's our big 3-0 this month. What a crazy, fun ride since we opened that first store in Austin, Texas on September 20, 1980. In the following 30 years, we grew from 19 team members in one small store to more than 55,000 team members in nearly 300 stores in the U.S, Canada and the U.K. Wow!

Did you know that Sara Bareilles' new album is coming out? Well, it is and we are sponsoring a preview listen for you!
Hey Newsletter Subscribers, we apologize for the coupon confusion! To get the exclusive coupon, all you need to do is print the email you received. As a paper saver, you might want to check your print preferences and print just the first page. You don’t need to print the coupon if you have a mobile device. Just pull it up on your device at checkout and show it to the cashier. It’s that easy! If you don’t subscribe to our newsletters, you should!

Are you heading to the Mile High Music Festival this year? If so, we’ll see you there!
As an avid homebrewer who is also environmentally conscientious, I’ve looked for creative ways to use the byproducts of brewing beer, including the spent grain.
Congratulations to JJ and Adrienne for winning their respective cat and dog each a fantastic care package! And thanks to all of you who submitted a response; you gave us lots of ideas for our own pampered pooches and crafty kitties.
Looking for high quality pet products? With buzzwords like “premium,” “ultra-premium,” “super-premium” and “gourmet” on the packaging, shopping for pet food can be a real challenge.
Heads up, folks. If you haven't yet entered our contest to win a trip to Cherry Country (otherwise known as the Pacific Northwest), time is running out!
It’s week three of our collaborative 8-Week Recipe Contest with food52, an online community for home cooks. If you have a great recipe starring fresh cherries, go to the food52 contest page to submit your recipe for a chance to win a $100 gift card from Whole Foods Market.
On World Environment Day — Saturday, June 5 — as part of its 20th anniversary commemoration, EARTH University is organizing a simultaneous global tree planting called EARTH Plants the Future.
2010 marks a monumental milestone for the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) and its founder, Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE.
We opened our very first Whole Foods Market store in Austin, Texas on September 20, 1980. Thirty years and hundreds of stores later we owe much of our success to the love of our Team Members. In honor of Team Member Appreciation Week, here are 30 reasons we love them back!
Our Team Members:
Christian P. is our randomly selected winner of the 5-title Putumayo CD collection. Thanks everyone for your entries!
Every month, we are pleased to add many new products to our shelves that have passed the testing and tasting and met our strict Quality Standards. And each month, we choose a dozen or so to call to your attention. Look for the "what's new" poster and shelf signs for new products — or new varieties of old favorites — that we think you'll especially enjoy.

Around the first of March I start thinking about my spring vegetable garden. This is the time when I feel the closest connection to the growers throughout the U.S. as we emerge from another winter (in some places) and contemplate the start of a new growing season.


2010 is an exciting year for many reasons. It's the beginning of a new decade, the end of 2009 (thank goodness!) and it is the year Whole Foods Market celebrates our 30th birthday! In September of 1980, John Mackey and Renee Lawson opened Whole Foods Market on Lamar Street in Austin, Texas with a staff of 19.

FORTUNE magazine just ranked Whole Foods Market No. 18 on its 2010 list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For." Thanks to our awesome Team Members (more than 50,000 now) we've made the list consecutively for 13 years and are one of only 13 companies to be named as an "All Star" for making the list every year since the list's inception.
Do you think of the New Year as a blank slate? Then let's start off the year by filling in that blank. Yep, get those brain cells working and churning and decide what special things you are going to accomplish this year. And guess what?
It’s that time of year again – when we examine our waistlines and lifestyle choices and set ambitious goals for the New Year. We’ve got lots of suggestions to share throughout the month of January, but we wanted to kick it all off with three very special ones we're focusing on and a way for you to join in!
Jim Brickman ("America's romantic piano sensation" who was just nominated for a Grammy for Faith as Best New Age Album) is a dedicated Whole Foods Market customer and shares his thoughts here about which healthy snacks he packs on the road.
I work in a part of Whole Foods Market that our customers probably don't think about very much - one of our regional distribution centers. Here in Maryland, my facility stocks and moves most of the product that you find on the shelves in our Mid-Atlantic Region stores.
It's October and that means it's pumpkin ale time in the beer world. Check your local store to discover which of these delightful brews are available in your neck of the woods.

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.



What I wouldn't give to be able to tour with the Dave Matthews Band. Oh yeah, the exciting locales and great music is seriously appealing, but what puts me right over the edge is the incredible food. Have you ever thought about what it takes to feed everyone involved with putting on these awesome shows?
Weekends are treasured for having time to kick back, relax and, maybe, test out a new brew. We created our Adventures in Brewing program to help you do just that. Each month, we feature two outstanding brews with unique stories to match their unique flavors. One of our August brews is Pilsner Urquell.Time to toot our own horn a bit. We're very honored to be recognized with the following:
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.

Late July
Organic Mini Sandwich Cookies

We know our readers are passionate about organics and we're guessing you're a talented lot as well. So we want to make sure you know about the Organic Institute's contest seeking the next "organic idol."
The scoop from their website:




It's always a treat to find out what the latest and greatest products are before you get to the store. These aren't the only new items this month, but it's enough to whet your appetite. Enjoy!
My team has the exciting responsibility of overseeing our national music program - you know, the CDs in our stores. We launched the "Artists Discovery Series" to celebrate exceptional emerging artists who share a passion for the causes and social initiatives that we support as well.
WOW!! What a great green store for the Lakewood neighborhood!
As many value experts will tell you, one of the best ways to avoid impulse buying is to come to the store with a list of what you need. Great advice. But, as we all know, new products come out that fit our needs and we really want to try!
You may remember back in summer when we first started up on Twitter and chose our favorite Tweet of the Day until the end of August. Well, Tweet of the Day is back - starting on Monday November 17th 2008 (coincidentally, also my birthday!).
Hi! My name is Hannah and I am a member of Teens for Safe Cosmetics: New York.
Each September, I look forward to the start of the new school year; but this September, all I can think about is the “Teens Turning Green” collection. In just a few weeks, this fabulous line of products will be available at Whole Foods Markets nationwide!
Hi my name is Mattie and I am a member of Teens for Safe Cosmetics: New York.
Hey! I’m Emily, and I am a sophomore in High School and a part of Teens for Safe cosmetics. A few weeks ago, Teens for Safe Cosmetics had our kickoff meeting for the 2008/ 09 campaign. It was a great meeting with tons of fabulous ideas for our Teens Turning Green Collection, for events, and for new advocacy strategies.

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!