A day with Whole Foods Hawaiʻi
Hosted at University of Hawaiʻi's Kapiʻolani Community College
Wondering if WFM will let me take this banner home...
SPROUT is Whole Foods Market's outreach and education program for local producers and farmers. We weren't sure what to expect, and honestly, had some preconceived notions about Whole Foods (you know, the "whole paycheck" thing). Our thinking has done a 180º after hearing from not just the Whole Foods people, but from farmers and producers that supply the stores.
After a inspiring morning session, attendees networked over lunch prepared by KCC's culinary team (awesome!). Turns out, one of the people at our table was a farmer from Kona who flew in just for this event. She is also a Konawaena graduate - small world!
We then went to a series of breakout sessions that covered everything from sourcing local ingredients to marketing and packaging. The food safety session was probably the most technical, but also one of the most illuminating - if you plan to do value added products, you need to think way beyond government minimum requirements. Food borne illnesses are huge liabilities for both the producer and the retailer.
Kristina and I split up so we could attend all six of the breakouts. So much great information shared by the Whole Foods staff and local producers. Mahalo to everyone who supported this summit.
