It’s that time of year again; Whole Foods Market is once more revealing the winners of its annual Supplier Awards, this time honoring industry members including Cowgirl Creamery, Heritage Foods, and more. And out of thousands of Whole Foods Market suppliers nationwide, only Califia Farms took home Supplier of the Year for its innovation in plant based, dairy alternatives, and environmental stewardship.
“Our Supplier Award winners set the gold standard for the industry, and we’re proud to celebrate their achievements,” shared Don Clark, Whole Foods Market’s Global Vice President of Procurement for Non Perishables, in a press release. “Each one of our supplier partners advances the character and flavor of our stores, whether they’re committed to sustainable farming methods or simply creating the best-tasting products.”
In addition to Califia Farms, Whole Foods recognized several of its top supplier partners in categories that highlight areas of achievement.
Categories included:
Excellence in Cheese
Cowgirl Creamery, for its commitment to high-quality natural and organic products. Its single source farmer’s partnership supports transparency, commitment to the organic mission of the company.
New Product Innovation
Beef Northwest, for developing a Global Animal Partnership Step 4 rated cattle program with corn on pasture finishing. Its program enhances the animal welfare and health of the cattle and is now offered in nine Whole Foods Market regions.
Excellence in Product Quality
Ittella Foods, for exceptional transparency, craftsmanship, and commitment to both safety and quality. Itella exceeds performance goals in Whole Foods Market stores and remains at the forefront of culinary trends with its special diets comfort foods.
Product with a Purpose
Heritage Foods, for its highly differentiated natural pork products. Heritage’s goal of transitioning to a Non-GMO diet has come to fruition, and they have been instrumental in helping community based Non-GMO soybean processing plants and feed mills certify to Non-GMO Project Verified standards.
For a complete list of winners for each of Whole Foods’ categories, please click here, and congrats to all our friends at Califia Farms, and the listed companies!
