Whole Foods 2009 Annual Report Download - page 12

Business Strategy
Whole Foods Market is the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket. We believe that much of our success to
date is because we remain a uniquely mission-driven Company. We are highly selective about what we sell. We believe in
providing an empowering work environment for our team members, and we are committed to sustainable agriculture. Our
motto, “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet,” emphasizes that our vision reaches far beyond just food retailing.
Whole Foods
We obtain our products locally and from all over the world, often from small, uniquely dedicated food artisans. We strive to
offer the highest quality, least processed, most flavorful and naturally preserved foods. We believe that food in its purest
state, unadulterated by artificial additives, sweeteners, colorings and preservatives, is the best tasting and most nutritious
food available.
Whole People
We recruit the best people we can to become part of our team. We empower them to make many operational decisions,
creating a respectful workplace where team members are treated fairly and are highly motivated to succeed. We look for
team members who are passionate about food, but also well-rounded human beings who can play a critical role in helping to
build our Company into a profitable and beneficial part of every community we serve.
Whole Planet
We believe companies, like individuals, must assume their share of responsibility for our planet. We actively support organic
farming on a global basis because we believe it is the best method for promoting sustainable agriculture and protecting the
environment and farm workers. We also assist our global neighbors through our Whole Planet Foundation’s microlending
operations. On a local basis, we are actively involved in our communities by supporting food banks, sponsoring
neighborhood events, and contributing at least 5% of our after-tax profits in the form of cash or products to not-for-profit
organizations.
Core Values
Our core values reflect what is truly important to us as an organization. They are the underpinning of our corporate culture
and the soul of our Company. They transcend our size and growth, so regardless of how large we become, by maintaining
our core values we are able to preserve what has always been special about our Company. In 2009, we added a seventh core
value recognizing the important role we play in promoting the health of our stakeholders.
Our core values are:
• selling the highest quality natural and organic products available;
• satisfying and delighting our customers;
• supporting team member happiness and excellence;
• creating wealth through profits and growth;
• caring about our communities and our environment;
• creating ongoing win-win partnerships with our suppliers; and
• promoting the health of our stakeholders through healthy eating education.
These core values speak to our belief in a balanced way of doing business. They very succinctly express the purpose of our
business, which is not only to make profits, but to create value for all of our major stakeholders – our customers, team
members, suppliers, investors, and the community and environment. All are linked interdependently.
Whole Planet Foundation®
As an extension of our core value to care about our communities and environment, we created the Whole Planet Foundation
in 2005, an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to empower the poor through microcredit, with a focus on
the developing-world communities that supply our stores with product. Microcredit is a system pioneered by Professor
Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and co-recipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. The
philosophy behind microcredit is to provide the poor access to credit without requiring contracts or collateral, enabling them
to lift themselves out of poverty by creating or expanding home-based businesses. Whole Planet Foundation has partnered
with various microfinance institutions to support microlending programs in communities where the Company sources
products.
As of September 27, 2009, the Whole Planet Foundation had committed over $10 million in grants to 16 microlending
projects. These projects are in Argentina, where Whole Foods Market sources blueberries; Bolivia, where we buy cacao;
Costa Rica and Honduras, where we source bananas; Guatemala, Nicaragua, Indonesia, East Timor, Ethiopia and Kenya,
where we have relationships with coffee farmers; Haiti, where we source mangoes; India, where we buy spices and cashews;
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