Our Story
Whole Foods Market began in 1978 as a small natural foods store in Austin, Texas. Our founders, John Mackey and Renee Lawson, borrowed $45,000 from family and friends to open SaferWay Natural Foods after seeing an opportunity to provide natural and organic products that were not readily available at the time.
Within a year of opening, SaferWay merged with Clarksville Natural Grocery, owned by Craig Weller and Mark Skiles, to become Whole Foods Market. It was the first supermarket chain to focus solely on natural and organic foods. Early on we adopted strict product quality standards to ensure we provide the highest quality produce, meats and pantry items.
Our passion for high standards, quality ingredients and environmental sustainability defined Whole Foods in those early days and still does today. Over four decades we have grown from a small local grocer to an internationally recognized industry leader in natural and organic foods with 500+ stores and 95,000 team members worldwide while retaining focus on our founding values.
Our Values
Whole Foods Market operates according to core values that direct every business decision and steer company growth in an intentional, purposeful direction.
Our values inform everything from product standards to new store locations and team member benefits. WeTranslatorwant customers to always have a positive, differentiated experience shopping in our stores or engaging online that reflects these principles.
Selling Highest Quality Natural Products
Ever since the first Whole Foods opened over 40 years ago, we have strived to provide the finest quality natural and organic foods available. We maintain exceptionally high standards throughout our supply chain because we believe selling great products you can trust is the right thing. Our quality standards team carefully evaluates thousands of items to meet specifications like being free from artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, sweeteners and more.
Environmental Stewardship
We are committed reducing environmental impact across all business practices from energy usage tracking in our stores to regenerative agriculture standards for produce to eliminating food waste through donations. Caring for communities extends beyond our shoppers to protecting the planet through sustainable sourcing decisions and responsible operations. Our core mission of promoting human and environmental health informs every innovation at Whole Foods.
Caring for Communities
From our team members to neighborhoods where we operate to partners in our supply chain, focusing on the greater good drives what we do. Our foundations and community giving programs aim to eradicate hunger, empower underserved populations with nutrition education and fresh foods, nurture local food systems and number initiatives improving human health around the globe. We believe business success includes making positive change everywhere we engage.
Creating Win-Win Partnerships
Mutually beneficial partnerships are the cornerstone of how we operate with all stakeholders. Our interest in shared destiny with team members, customers, investors, suppliers and communities shapes programs like profit sharing, competitive wages and win-win supply agreements. We recognize the interests of all Whole Foods partners must be balanced, so we work diligently through open communication and transparency to create as much collective success as possible.
Product Standards & Quality
Product quality standards are the guiding light directing everything we sell. We carefully screen products, processes and facilities to ensure ingredients meet specifications for identity, purity, strength, composition, cleanliness and other characteristics before being approved.
We prohibit long lists of additives and ingredients common in conventional food like artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, sweeteners, fats & oils or anything deemed harmful based on scientific research. Our lengthy list of unacceptable ingredients we monitor for makes sure banned substances never make it onto shelves.
Standards are tailored category-by-category given inherent variability between different foods. For example meat, poultry and dairy products must meet criteria for things like antibiotic use, living conditions and feeding practices while grocery has standards guiding cultivation methods, chemical exposure and processing techniques.
We’re very selective about products we carry since less than 5% of goods available make the cut when accounting for our high bar. Our Quality Standards team works continuously to assess new items against benchmarks crafted over decades to reflect Whole Foods ideologies.
If products contain any “unacceptable” ingredients or fall short of standards in our view, they won’t be sold no matter how great they may taste. We don’t compromise integrity for convenience or cost savings. That’s what our customers expect and we deliver.
While our Quality Standards team plays a gatekeeping role in enforcing policies, our purchasing team takes an active role partnering with vendors to promote adoption of clean ingredients, environmental responsibility programs, workplace safety measure and other business practices aligned with our values like regenerative agriculture or fair labor certifications. We encourage continuous improvement by suppliers through direct consultation and incentives since scaling best practices collectively transforms whole industries.
Our Stores
Our welcoming, vibrant stores with knowledgeable team members aim to make natural foods shopping both fun and convenient. Every location balances strictly maintained product standards shoppers expect from Whole Foods with localized selections tailored to regional tastes from local brands plus community event calendars reflecting nearby schools, non-profits and other partners.
While no two stores look exactly the same given natural design variation and tailoring departments, displays and offerings store-by-store, shoppers can count on consistently excellent product quality, customer service and values-focused business practices across all 500+ Whole Foods locations internationally.
Product Selection
Shoppers praise our unparalleled selection with over 30,000 high quality items per store on average from staples like organic fruits and vegetables, humanely raised meats, sustainable seafood, clean pantry items or cruelty-free body care to harder-to-find specialty offerings like macrobiotic foods, raw treats or locally made foods businesses. We offer unmatched variety in natural and organic products thanks to our scaled supply chain capabilities combined with emphasis on catering to local preferences in individual stores.
Foodie favorites from prepared foods and bakery departments delight customers every day with chef-made delicacies and baked goods made totally from scratch using carefully vetted ingredients. Our extensive bulk section allows customers to purchase exactly the amount needed and minimize waste. The butcher and seafood departments provide plenty of sustainable proteins to pick from while the grocery aisles offer everything needed for healthy home cooking along with cleaner packaged foods. Those wanting to nourish inner wellness can explore our vitamin & supplement section plus body care aisles filled with natural beauty and personal care products free from harsh chemicals.
Beyond an extensive selection of consumables, we also offer thousands of specialty items related to eco-conscious living, fitness, parenting, personal development and more that reflect our support of healthy, sustainable lifestyles. Every Whole Foods aims to be a one-stop-shop for all natural products spanning food to non-food items customers need while avoiding artificial preservatives, flavors or sweeteners deemed unacceptable by our standards.
In-Store Experience
We emphasize beautiful presentation of products in vibrant displays creating a welcoming retail environment versus sterile warehouse atmosphere under harsh lighting. Fresh fruits, vegetables, breads and prepared dishes are displayed cafeteria-style for hands-on inspection of quality before purchasing. Interactive features like olive oil fustis for tasting different options engage multiple senses.
For shoppers wanting meal inspiration, our Chefs Case rotates chef-made creations like wholesome hot entrees, salads, sides and gourmet takes on comfort foods daily using in-season ingredients while global cuisines from sushi to Indian offer variety. Artisan breads, cakes, pies, cookies and more bring droves seeking decoded desserts with no mystery additives thanks to clear ingredients labels.
Store interiors showcase local and sustainable materials from reclaimed wood accents to furniture built from renewable bamboo in line with our environmental commitments. Natural light floods spaces as expansive windows facing sidewalks connect shops to neighborhoods. Prominent seafood and butcher departments provide tailored guidance on sourcing considerations related to factors like catch methods, flavor profiles, farm locations and more when requesting selections.
Culinary experts gladly provide suggestions, recommendations or cooking tips relevant to items based on the rich supply chain insights and high vendor engagement levels maintained by our purchasing teams. Associates strive to make the experience welcoming like a favorite corner grocer rather than just another supermarket visit. mellsmell
Our Team Members
We have over 95,000 team members globally who believe in our core values and bring them to life daily through exceptional service delivered with passion, knowledge and care. Happy team members make for happy customers – and our retail leadership, store and regional support staff aim to ensure work environments empower all employees.
We invest heavily in hiring those aligned with our principles then support their growth afterwards through benefits like market-leading wages, regular raises, generous paid time off, retirement contributions, store discounts and inclusive medical packages. Annual bonuses reward team members for business success. Ongoing education programs level-up skills while promotion pathways provide development opportunities.
Diversity, equity and inclusion shape our people practices so all team members feel welcomed, supported and heard. From hiring those with non-traditional backgrounds to championing advocacy groups supporting women, people of color, LGBTQ communities and more – fostering safe, supportive workspaces for people from all walks of life drives business and social progress forward together.
We believe success includes collective prosperity for all and business doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game between investors, employees or suppliers. Our combinations of competitive rewards and nurturing culture makes careers at Whole Foods more than just jobs to team members but fuel behind leading the way towards food system change through decades of growth ahead.
Leadership
Founders
John Mackey, Co-Founder & Director: John Mackey co-founded Whole Foods in 1980 and worked closely guiding its strategy and mission over more than 30 years as CEO before moving into a Director role. His vision for bringing natural, healthier and more sustainable food to more people fueled incredible growth matched with impact thanks to his unconventional leadership style based on empowering collective creativity over traditional hierarchies. He continues influencing Whole Foods’ direction as an active Board member today.
Renee Lawson, Co-Founder & Director: Renee Lawson partnered with John Mackey to open the doors of SaferWay natural grocery store in 1978, which became the first Whole Foods a few years later through merger with another small local shop. She served an instrumental role overseeing human resources, purchasing, marketing and operations in the early startup days. Her dedication to people and sustainable products laid the cultural foundation for values-based business practices as a differentiation strategy that fuels lasting success. Renee continues to shape Whole Foods’ mission as an engaged Director.
Executive Team
Walter Robb III, CEO: Appointed Co-CEO with John Mackey in 2010 to oversee Whole Foods’ growth and strategic direction, Walter officially took over as sole CEO when John Mackey stepped down in 2017 after 37 years. However Walter has been an integral leader within Whole Foods for over two decades since joining in 1991, previously serving as COO and Executive Vice President after coming up through store operations ranks. His depth of experience scaling the business while retaining focus on core values makes Walter a beloved CEO blending servant leadership mentality with savvy executive prowess.
John Mackey, Chairman: Transitioning from his earlier role as Co-CEO and then sole CEO for decades, John Mackey now serves as Executive Chairman continuing to guide Whole Foods’ branding, innovation efforts and mission as an extension of founder duties. He provides visionary thought leadership steering food industry transformation towards healthier, ethical options while championing conscientious capitalism where all stakeholders including communities thrive together.
Jason Buechel, Chief Operating Officer: With nearly 20 years at Whole Foods including senior roles heading up key departments like Global Technology, Procurement and Distribution plus store leadership capacities, Jason bring multifunctional mastery into his COO oversight optimizing digital capabilities, supply chain innovations and operational efficiencies through process modernization. His passion for integrating advancements across silos to enable local experimentation and remain an agile industry pioneer makes Jason a strategic leader.
Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, Chief Marketing Officer: Sonya built the Whole Foods brand over two decades through prior roles leading public relations, internal communications, consumer insights and brand development before being appointed CMO. She bridges analytics with creative engagement amplified through social channels, community building plus emotional resonance created when happens leveraging purpose and imagination. Sonya’s brand marketing leadership continues further evangelizing the Whole Foods mission.
Whole Foods Market is guided today by a diverse Executive Team and Board of Directors who guard our principles while driving growth. Blending long term veterans who created the early recipes for differentiation with relative newcomers externally recognized as top retail talent, our leadership remains committed to doing things better each day throughout stores, supply chains and communities we serve.
Our Future
We still have the same passion for high-quality natural foods, customer education around nutrition and ecology along with doing business differently that defined Whole Foods 45 years ago when we first opened our doors. But the journey continues today on a more global scale while innovating across channels to spread our mission of healthy eating education plus environmental stewardship further through generations ahead.
We operate 500+ stores filled with 30,000 natural and organic products vetted against our uncompromising Quality Standards, provide 95,000 team members exceptional wages and benefits while giving back over 5% of profits to communities – yet believe this is just the beginning of positive change happening both through our operations and across broader food systems by setting better benchmarks.
Our commitments today around issues like reducing environmental impact through sustainable sourcing, eliminating food waste or promoting regenerative organic agriculture practices are built on decades of effort – yet they will accelerate in decades ahead thanks to increasing consciousness among consumers, business leaders and policymakers we aim to nurture. The collective voices amplifying calls for healthier, eco-conscious products grown transparently have never shouted louder than right now. Whole Foods wants to channel that energy into real progress improving life for all living beings needing protected, especially future generations inheriting the planet.
John Mackey recently announced plans to retire as Executive Chairman in 2023, passing batons onto a new generation after nearly 45 years of unmatched leadership. He leaves behind an iconic brand synonymous with not just organic and natural pioneers but conscious capitalism putting purpose on par with profits. His vision made healthier eating solution not just something for hippies but welcoming people together from all walks of life in vibrant community spaces filled with good food. That spirit will continue to define Whole Foods, energizing ongoing improvement and innovation aligned with our core values carried forward by passionate team members already hard at work building an even brighter future.
