whole foods

John Mackey's Whole Foods Vision to Reshape Capitalism

Danielle Sacks — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:00:00 -0500

Just to be clear, John Mackey isn't Moses. "It's not like you go up to the mountaintop and God talks to you: Here is your purpose -- execute," he says.

Conscious Capitalists Focus on the Ideals of Businesses

Fast Company staff — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:00:00 -0500

MACKEY SAYS: "The Good"

WHAT HE DOESN'T SAY:
The Container Store: The purveyor of plastic sells a "bamboo compost pail" and encourages employees to buy CFLs, but its environmental policy borders on parody: "Having salespeople who anticipate customers' needs so they get everything they need in a single trip to the store."

Razorfish's FEED Study: Brands Are the New Celebrity

Stephanie Schomer — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:20:02 -0500

You know social media is a powerful tool for business when a grocery store attracts more Twitter followers than pop star Lady Gaga and almost as many as Miley Cyrus, whose departure drove her 2 million fans to make #MileyComeBack a trending topic for more than a day.

Grab a Super Big Gulp of 7-Eleven's New $3.99 Vino for the Masses

Diane Mehta — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:05:18 -0500

Now you can pull off the road, pop into 7-Eleven and grab a chardonnay with stone fruit tones or a plum-like cabernet sauvignon, both of which pair perfectly with Go-Go Taquitos or a 1/4-pound Big Bite.

The Urban Forest Project: Companies Fund Public Art, Which Funds Non-Profits

Alissa Walker — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:14:56 -0400

Mackey's Op-Ed Tarnishes Whole Foods Brand Image

Shel Horowitz — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 07:06:16 -0400

Whole Foods’ standing among its core constituency is less than it was before CEO John Mackey
wrote a well-publicized op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, attempting to
put the brakes on health care reform. According to Mashable.com,
which covers social media, positive perceptions of Whole Foods dropped
10 points in a week, and a 13 point drop in the perception that
respondents would be proud to work there. Mashable also notes that the
boycott group launched on Facebook is up to 27,000 members.

Social Responsibility

Mackey's Op-Ed Tarnishes Whole Foods Brand Image

Shel Horowitz — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 07:06:07 -0400

Social Responsibility

Six Viral Articles to Make You a Health Care Expert

Chris Dannen — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:12:02 -0400

Whether you think public-option health care is a panacea or a slippery slope, you can't deny that the issue has prompted plenty of dialogue (and, okay, invective.) Rather than keeping up on all the bloviating, here are six viral articles about the health care debate that will make you an impromptu expert.

Do we really need a public option?

Building Consumer Experience Value Using the Power of Metaphors

Steve McCallion — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:53:21 -0400

We were wrapping up a meeting with a client who was developing a new neighborhood. Through a combination of field research, trend studies and historical analysis we defined a story and collection of artifacts and experiences that would make this place meaningful to potential residents as well as the neighboring community. After the meeting our client said, "I finally understand what you guys do. You orchestrate the obvious."

Big Brands, Lil' Apps

Julie Rutherford — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:20:57 -0400

Today's mission: to see how a few of my favorite big brands are using iPhone apps. As you might expect, I found a ton of great branded apps, both free and paid. My three top picks are below and share a common theme--they make life a little easier for their devoted followers.

Innovating Toward Health Care Reform, the Whole Foods Way

Clay Dillow — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:01:39 -0400

With the health-care debate bogged down in mindless town hall confrontations and the President reassuring us his plan for health care reform will work--just as soon as he creates it--where can Americans turn for innovative ideas in health care? Having organically grown his business from a failing granola shop in Austin into a nationwide phenomenon, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey knows a thing or two about running a solvent business while taking care of his people. And when it comes to health-care reform, Mackey says, the President and Congress are moving in the wrong direction.

Greenpeace Ranks Sustainable Seafood in Grocery Stores, Wegmans Tops List

Ariel Schwartz — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:54:34 -0400

Greenpeace's third edition of the Carting Away the Oceans seafood sustainability scorecard brings some heartening news: over half of the leading U.S. supermarket chains have made progress in seafood sustainability. Many have introduced sustainable seafood policies, and others have removed endangered "red list" seafood from the shelves.

Perception + Identity = Reality

Kaihan Krippendorff — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:48:14 -0400

New York City imports $1 billion in vegetables every year to feed the city's constantly growing population.

Whole Foods Turning Banners Into Luxury Bags

Ariel Schwartz — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:39:16 -0400

The Glen Allen, Virginia branch of Whole Foods is turning its old retail banners into an unexpected luxury item: handbags. The store joined with recycled luxury handbag maker Passchal for the Passchal Whole Foods Banner Bag line, available in handbag, messenger bag, and clutch styles. Each bag is completely unique due to the variety of lettering on Whole Foods signs.

Let This Be a Sign: Artist Shawn Wolfe's Blistering Commentary on Consumerism

Alissa Walker — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:51:39 -0400

Seattle-based designer Shawn Wolfe has built his career on cheeky and subversive work for MTV, K2, Sprite, Capitol Records and Old Navy. But at the heart of his self-initiated artwork is a critical and highly entertaining survey of consumerism. As he described his focus at the Y Conference this weekend: "Consumerism is how we choose what we wear or what we eat," he said.

The New W Hotel In Hollywood is Designed For the Art of the Film Junket

Alissa Walker — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:24:48 -0400

iFive: Starbucks, Netflix, News Corp, Salesforce.com, and yes, Fast Company in Today's Innovation News

David Lidsky — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:13:50 -0400

While you slept, innovation didn't. Here's what you missed and need to know.

How One Man Confused Grocers and Won Customers with Canned Pancakes

Chris Dannen — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:44:15 -0500

Sean O'Connor has struggled with a monster.

"Grocery is the biggest business you never think about," he says. "It moves incredibly slowly. We had no idea of the hurdles."

He should know. He's spent the last three years in a virtual industry crash-course, pushing a product that has flummoxed grocers, aroused fear (then love) in consumers, and out-maneuvered some of the biggest food manufacturers on earth. And he did it with pancake batter in a whipped cream can.

Fish on Friday: Two Dramatic Statistics Bracket Today’s Sweet & Sour Economy

Charles Fishman — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:34:14 -0500

Two numbers leap out of the recent news that seem to capture — in very personal ways — both how deeply serious the short term pain in this economy is going to be, and how amazingly regenerative the economy is likely to be.

The pain first. Earlier this week, Whole Foods Market, which runs the nation’s most entrancing and most expensive grocery stores, reported profits for its most recent quarter. The bottom line for Whole Foods in the months of July, August, and September?

$1.5 million in total profit.

Fast Talk: Clean, Healthy Food

Fast Company staff — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:01:10 -0400

How seven execs are making the food supply cleaner, greener, and healthier.

“We are effectively a hydration company, so it’s a business risk for us if water is not readily available. Right now, 84% of the water we use to produce our products is fully treated and returned the environment, safe for aquatic life. Our goal is to get to 100% by 2010.”

An All Natural Icon Reaches Beyond Whole Foods

Saabira Chaudhuri — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:55:10 -0400

Chris Reed isn't your typical CEO. He's a tie-dye aficionado who sports a ponytail, eats vegetarian, and enthuses ceaselessly about the benefits of yoga, Ayurveda, and meditation. He comes off more like a freewheeling Californian—maybe a wave chaser or an amateur home grower—than a kid from Queens who runs a multi-million-dollar business.

Whole Foods Takes a Stand

Saabira Chaudhuri — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:27:43 -0400

On Earth Day next week, the natural and organic foods supermarket Whole Foods will stop offering plastic bags to its customers. So how are you expected to carry home your granola, fruit juice, soymilk and edamame? It's down to paper or reusable canvas bags.