Whole Foods Market® Honors 2014 ‘Supplier Award’ Winners
24 April 2014 - 02:30AM
Business Wire
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
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