Before taking on this beat, I spent three years covering retail and e-commerce, and the three before that chasing the super-rich for our Forbes 400 and World's Billionaires lists. "Carl started buying at around $20," says Simon, who glances at Hain's share price on his BlackBerry regularly (it now trades around $74). In 1990 he started a gig with another billionaire, a quintessential New Yorker: S. Daniel Abraham, or "Danny," as Simon calls him, founder of trailblazing diet-shake outfit Slim-Fast. Manufacturing will move from its current 10,000-square-foot factory, the smallest of 24 plants operated by Hain (workers still remove lemon skins by hand), into a larger facility 30 minutes from Manhattan in Long Island's Lake Success. “They have pissed off their employees, they have pissed off customers, and they have pissed off their vendors,” said a Whole Foods vendor of eight years who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution. We took a 4-hour flight on the new Delta Airbus jet that Boeing tried to keep out of the US. Vive Organic: for its steadfast commitment to its vision and impressive growth trajectory. Global Supplier of the Year & Environmental Stewardship: Global Supplier of the Year & Purpose Driven Empowerment: has almost 500 stores in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom. It's as cold as a meat locker inside the lab-like BluePrint juice factory in an industrial slice of Queens, N.Y., and the air smells of lemon zest. Simon embraces New York with an immigrant's fervor. Here is a video on Luke’s Lobster. - Wild Planet Foods was one of the first brands to meet the rigorous requirements for the Whole Foods Market Canned Tuna Policy, setting an excellent example for our other tuna suppliers. “We’re proud to recognize these suppliers who offer outstanding products aligned with our mission, values and the high quality standards that we’ve championed for nearly 40 years,” said A.C. Gallo, president and chief merchandising officer at Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods. Its market cap now hovers around $3.5 billion. Local, regional and national suppliers honored for outstanding quality, environmental stewardship, organic integrity, innovation and partnership, The Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence. I'm a staff writer at Forbes, where I write about women entrepreneurs, workplace equality, and diversity in Silicon Valley and the tech world. Before taking on this beat,…. Get hungry for local, organic, plant-based & more: see today's sales, browse products by special diet, find recipes, get delivery and pick up & order catering. The honorees were selected by Whole Foods Market category experts and buyers who work closely with our suppliers every day. In addition to its commitment to sustainable cultivation of caviar, Tsar Nicoulai Caviar is equally as committed to preserving the environment. It was a … Over the last 3 years, the 4 x 400 team has provided critical guidance to Whole Foods Market Team Members, helping Whole Foods Market reach business goals while providing the highest quality products and services to our customers. A total of 30 awards were given out at a reception held in Whole Foods’ hometown. Despite the company’s quick expansion, Vive Organic has stayed true to its mission of positively impacting people’s lives through access to the freshest, rawest forms of the living plants the product is originated from, without compromising quality. For a small vendor to go through this is a hellacious, horrible time and financial burden.”, If you have information to share, email [email protected]. Forever Cheese’s commitment to food safety and quality excellence has made the company an incredible partner to Whole Foods Market. UTEC seeks to ignite and nurture the ambition of their most disconnected young people to trade violence and poverty for social and economic success. The first large-scale sustainably focused seafood company in the United States, Wild Planet Foods sources its tuna exclusively from pole and line catch fisheries, a method that reduces bycatch and helps preserve healthy ecosystems. Here is a video on Wild Planet Foods. 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. Humphry Slocombe (San Francisco, CA): for gaining a devoted customer following in such a short period of time through its passion for ice cream, inventive flavors and commitment to connecting with its customers in unique, fun ways. State Development. After being fired by Abraham--“Too much politics," Simon says--he used $600,000 in savings and loans from friends to go out on his own. “Whole Foods said, ‘You have a year to get this done.’ It’s like communism. A USDA Certified Organic grocer in the United States, the chain is popularly known for its organic selections. SmartSweets: for reinventing the classic gummy bear and disrupting the candy category in a much-needed manner. Privacy Policy La Farm Bakery establishes close relationships with its local farmers to grow grains that nourish not just the customer, but the land and farmers who grow them. Luke’s Lobster: for working hand in hand with Whole Foods Market to build a process that guarantees that all their lobsters adhere to our sustainability requirements and animal welfare standards, ensuring ample supply for 2019 and beyond. quality, environmental stewardship, organic integrity, innovation and partnership. Whole Foods counts Hain Celestial as its largest supplier, and the two companies prospered by symbiosis, stocks soaring side by side. Alibaba.com Site: International - Español - Português - Deutsch - Français - Italiano - हिंदी - Pусский - 한국어 - 日本語 - اللغة العربية - ภาษาไทย - Türk - Nederlands - tiếng Việt - Indonesian - עברית, AliExpress Global Supplier of the Year & Environmental Stewardship. Starting in our Southern Pacific Region in 2017, the company’s wellness shots are now available in all Whole Foods Market stores in the U.S. Awe Sum Organics: for its staunch commitment to organic agriculture and ensuring great tasting organic fruit supplies are plentiful. They could previously do their own demonstrations without paying a fee or hire outside companies to do it for them. Prime members only. The honorees were selected by the grocer's category experts and buyers. Whole Foods has long been seen by customers as a destination for discovering new and local brands, vendors said. La Farm Bakery (Cary, NC): for its passion for old world artisan bread baking and its commitment to tradition, quality and health. “This year’s honorees were selected from thousands of brands and represent the best-in-class in sourcing, industry-leading innovation and win-win partnership.”. Alibaba offers 97 Whole Foods Market Sales Suppliers, and Whole Foods Market Sales Manufacturers, Distributors, Factories, Companies. In the last three years, FILLO’S successfully launched new products, updated its packaging, received non-GMO certification and supported instore promotions and product demonstrations. FILLO'S Americas Made (Geneva, IL): for its dedication to creating delicious, easy-to-prepare packaged beans, without sacrificing bold flavors, freshness and the brand’s authenticity. "He did a lot of this on fumes. “A lot of the vendors are refiguring their game plans with Whole Foods,” a broker who represents more than a dozen suppliers said. UTEC, Inc. (Lowell, MA): for becoming an innovator for youth services, a conscientious contributor to the community and an excellent example of an organization creating opportunity and abundance. As a result, small vendors could work their way into Whole Foods by striking up a relationship with local buyers. Whole Foods is also requiring suppliers to pay a fee for in-store demos. Free from added sugar, sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners, SmartSweets gummy bears allow customers to feel good about eating candy. She said she began to grow disillusioned with Whole Foods last year after it invited suppliers to a meeting at Oregon State University and announced that to continue supplying goods to Whole Foods, all vendors would have to start using – and pay fees to – two outside companies: UL Everclean and IX-One. He grew up in Nova Scotia's Glace Bay, where his father ran a 900-square-foot convenience store selling kosher food to the area's tiny Jewish population. Walking the halls of Hain's headquarters, Simon is adamant that he'll stay in New York and not just because of the incentive of $4.5 million in tax credits from Governor Andrew Cuomo's job-creation agency, The grocery chain is charging brands more money for prime shelf space and in-store product demonstrations and taste tests while also requiring them to pay ongoing fees to third-party companies for food-safety audits and photographs of their products. Aramouni International, Inc. & Nature's Healthy Gourmet, Inc. Email me at coconnor@forbes.com. OEM,ODM & multi-category buying. Sustainable Wild-Caught Previously Frozen Sockeye Salmon Fillets: Excludes cooked. Onetouch Driscoll’s, a worldwide leader in berry production, is committed to quality in each step of berry production and distribution. 1-click quotation comparison United Natural Foods, Inc. (“UNFI”) is our single largest third-party supplier, accounting for approximately 32% of our total purchases.