Local Foragers for Whole Foods and Others

[Chris Amirault]

[split this off from the WF/Pollan topic -- CA]

In my local WF today, I saw a sign introducing me to their local "forager," the person charged with taking care of the local sourcing problem Pollan raises.

Did some googling, and I found an article from Fortune Small Business on the foragers, with Maine forager Susan Phinney the subject of this paragraph:

As Whole Foods' first full-time "forager," Phinney, 46, is tasked with finding and then helping small farmers, bakers and other food providers cope with the exacting demands of the huge organic grocery chain. She voices an uplifting corporate mantra: "We think your products are great, and I'm here to see whether we can build a business together." Whole Foods, with annual sales of $5.6 billion, is about to open its first market in Maine. The new store should be a natural outlet for the Colsons. But they wonder whether they can sell their produce to a big supermarket without sacrificing their souls - and their bottom line.

Talk about missed opportunities: in the years during which WF was avoiding the locals, they all started treating WF as "a big supermarket."

Edited March 23, 2007 by chrisamirault (log)

[Pontormo]

Count me in as someone who thinks it's a scream to learn that Whole Foods is co-opting the word "foraging" from Pollan's final chapter on the most elemental way to prepare a meal.

It's sort of like the slide show John Mackey used to present his understanding of food history: after an age of industrialization we stand, like Petrarch on the top of the mountain looking down upon a Golden Age, one whose renewal he fosters in a new "Ecological Age". While he characterizes the work of his nemesis (?) as "brilliant" he just doesn't seem to understand what Pollan critiques in his overview of organic farms gone industrial.

When a large corporation transacts business with local farmers, its motives are both moral and geared toward increasing profit. We've mentioned a bit about these initiatives before and heard positive feedback from the "Little Guy" involved. But come on, no matter how cool the rep from WFM looks in hiking boots, she just ain't foraging when she goes out to expand the territories within her company's boundaries.

Edited March 23, 2007 by Pontormo (log)

[russ parsons]

Count me in as someone who thinks it's a scream to learn that Whole Foods is co-opting the word "foraging" from Pollan's final chapter on the most elemental way to prepare a meal.

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uhm, actually Pollan appropriated that word from Chez Panisse, which has had a "forager" on staff since the early '80s. At first, things really were foraged--they'd visit neighborhood gardeners looking for fruit and herbs and places they could grow salads. gradually it expanded to include seeking out small farmers who were doing great food. As I understand it, that is the intent of the Whole Foods forager. While it may be ridiculous that nobody has done that until now, i have a hard time throwing stones at Whole Foods for trying something interesting.

[Chris Amirault]

Russ, if the conversations I've had with the locals here are any indication, this isn't actually WF's first try. At least at the first (Waterman Ave, for the locals) WF store here in Providence, locals farmers and purveyors were encouraged to work out arrangements directly with the heads of each department. There wasn't a "forager" per se; it was part of the potential job for the heads.

Having said that, I agree with the gist of your post. Around here, the ability of locals to provide their food to WF means economic sufficiency that simply isn't possible elsewhere. Providing good food to stores and their customers while supporting local farmers seems like a pretty good deal to me.

Makes me want to ask: do other stores like Wild Oats or Trader Joe's do anything like this?

[Carrot Top]

The Greenbrier Hotel does (or did, last I heard). Seasonal, of course, as West Virginia is not a year-round growing climate for lots of stuff. The formalized specs that were developed as part of the contractural agreement between vendor and hotel were not easy for the smaller-size local farmers to meet - I know several who simply gave up on the idea after trying it for several years. They went back to selling by the roadside from truckbeds.

[russ parsons]

Russ, if the conversations I've had with the locals here are any indication, this isn't actually WF's first try. At least at the first (Waterman Ave, for the locals) WF store here in Providence, locals farmers and purveyors were encouraged to work out arrangements directly with the heads of each department. There wasn't a "forager" per se; it was part of the potential job for the heads.

Having said that, I agree with the gist of your post. Around here, the ability of locals to provide their food to WF means economic sufficiency that simply isn't possible elsewhere. Providing good food to stores and their customers while supporting local farmers seems like a pretty good deal to me.

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just for the record, i wasn't the one implying this was a new practice, though i'm sure whole foods doesn't pre-date chez panisse (were they even around in the 1970s?).

on the most important point, i wholeheartedly agree: the opportunity to sell to a store like WF, provided they are able to do it at better than normal commodity prices, can be an immense help to small farmers--would you rather sell to one WF, or at seven farmers markets?

[Pontormo]

Count me in as someone who thinks it's a scream to learn that Whole Foods is co-opting the word "foraging" from Pollan's final chapter on the most elemental way to prepare a meal.

←

uhm, actually Pollan appropriated that word from Chez Panisse, which has had a "forager" on staff since the early '80s.

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Russ, I was unaware of the use of the word "forager" at Chez Panisse, so thanks for the information. I didn't realize either restaurants or supermarkets referred to "sourcing" (sorry, Busboy) that way.

After Pollan took on the role of a hunter and gatherer, foraging in the woods for wild mushrooms, etc., when he sat down to write about his experience, he may have had the traditional and literal meaning of the word in mind, too.

John Mackey's Open Letters on his blog not only criticized Michael Pollan for unfair treatment, but also graciously vowed to respond to *OD* by increasing his commitment to local farmers and small ventures that produce the kind of food that the store sells. It's been a while since I read the letter and since this is just a post, I am going to write solely from memory which is admittedly fuzzy. However, I believe he also said that he was planning on new measures and directions in light of the troublesome book. Therefore, in my original post I also assumed the new "forager" represented a promised Pollan-inspired direction.

* * *

As for WFM, the article Chris cites refers to the company's first full-time forager without mentioning whose duties might have included foraging before. I am probably repeating myself (cf. thread from which this represents a "spin-off") by saying that the company used to have a backdoor policy whereby it was up to the discretion of the Team Leaders of individual departments to accept inventory from local farmers, small "artisans", etc. A long conversation with an employee at WFM who had been with his employer for a decade is my source. He said he missed those days. The practice was all very loose and I suppose that is what made it problematic as a food co-op became a major corporation. But here I go speculating again. You're better off asking someone who knows the business.

I was also a resident of Boulder, Colorado the year WFM moved into the home turf of Wild Oats. Its strategy was to sell organic staples (e.g. milk from Horizon, a local dairy) at lower prices, to copy what was working at Wild Oats and Alfalfa (another similar type of store) and to dazzle all the hardcore professional athletes, rock climbers and runners with the best produce, wild salmon below cost, etc. Smart, obviously. I lived half a mile away and certainly was happy.

Its foraging included making a deal with the one really good bakery in town, according to one report which is only rumor. I was told the bakery could not sell to restaurants, catering companies, etc., just to Whole Foods. This may not be the case, but I don't see how much more business the tiny little operation could have done other than give WFM its daily bread. I am sure the measure was a boon to both parties concerned.

You'll notice my original post mentioned what I said in the old thread too: local farmers and small producers approached by WFM have all been pleased by the nature of interactions. The farmer's market where I volunteer has a good relationship with the company. For example, the founders of the market invited a consultant from WF to provide cooking demonstrations that feature foods from local farms.

Edited March 25, 2007 by Pontormo (log)

[Pontormo]

on the most important point, i wholeheartedly agree: the opportunity to sell to a store like WF, provided they are able to do it at better than normal commodity prices, can be an immense help to small farmers--would you rather sell to one WF, or at seven farmers markets?

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Depends upon how much money WFM is paying me for my produce, grass-fed beef or yogurt. I thought farmers go to these markets because they end up taking home a lot more than when they do selling directly to a supermarket, even factoring in how much they pay the people they hire to help set up and sell, gas, time spent away from the herds and fields.

There's one local dairy that has been selling its ricotta, mozzarella, and now yogurt to Whole Foods for years. It also sets up at farmer's markets around town and in Virginia. WF used to sell their wares for a price lower than what the dairy asked at the farmer's market. Today I noticed that was no longer the case.

[Chris Amirault]

Pontormo, good points.

As for WFM, the article Chris cites refers to the company's first full-time forager without mentioning whose duties might have included foraging before.  I am probably repeating myself (cf. thread from which this represents a "spin-off") by saying that the company used to have a backdoor policy whereby it was up to the discretion of the Team Leaders of individual departments to accept inventory from local farmers, small "artisans", etc.  A long conversation with an employee at WFM who had been with his employer for a decade is my source.  He said he missed those days.  The practice was all very loose and I suppose that is what made it problematic as a food co-op became a major corporation.  But here I go speculating again.  You're better off asking someone who knows the business.

I've had the same sorts of conversations with team leaders here. Not proof, of course, but compelling.

Depends upon how much money WFM is paying me for my produce, grass-fed beef or yogurt.  I thought farmers go to these markets because they end up taking home a lot more than when they do selling directly to a supermarket, even factoring in how much they pay the people they hire to help set up and sell, gas, time spent away from the herds and fields.

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This, I think, is an excellent question. Those of us who visit farmers markets during the seasons ought to make it a point to ask this question and report back.

[russ parsons]

based on my reporting, it depends. as i said, the farmers must get more than normal commodity prices. but that doesn't mean they have to make as much as they would selling at farmers markets. there are a lot of expenses involved in markets--time, employees, gas, insurance, etc.

one of the things farmers markets have accomplished is making some (mostly specialty) produce wholesalers realize that people are willling to pay more money for good produce. and so the wholesalers are too. they seek out good farmers and then pay them a better-than-going rate for their fruits and vegetables (a bonus which they then pass on to retail and, of course, eventually to you). in this way, farmers markets are improving the farm economy even for those who don't sell there.

a couple of years ago a local farmers market farmer who has succeeded in crossing this divide and now sells at both wholesale and at farmers markets opened their books to me ... well, mostly. but they said that the cost of selling at farmers markets was probably 75% to 80% of what they made. because of higher prices and because of no middle-man, that still works out to a premium over selling conventionally, but not as large a one as you might expect.

they also said that selling to specialty wholesalers they often received HIGHER prices than they would at farmers markets, even before costs were figured in (these wholesalers seem to be less sensitive to pricing than home shoppers).

but they also said that though they had cut back on the number of markets they were attending (many of them ended up being money-losing propositions when sales didn't cover the costs of attending), they'd never get out of markets altogether, because it was the presence at the markets that helped them keep their "street cred" as high-quality farmers (which they surely are).

this is a very exciting and curious time to be involved in fruits and vegetables. old models are collapsing and new ones are just being invented. and I think WF--whatever you might think of them in general--is really on the cutting edge of an interesting idea h ere.

[annecros]

The big distributors and wholesalers have been moving in this direction as well, in response to market pressures. It's not just Whole Foods. If I understand correctly, Whole Foods is attempting to take back into house, what it sent out of house because it didn't work before, and are taking it back in because of market demand.

The old term for this was "buyers" and that's still what you will find the big boys talking about in marketing materials. The buyers are just getting new goals. Buy local, buy quality, but still buy at a level that will keep the product competitive.

With all the certified organic and buy local pressure in the market, the middle man is taking on more of the burden in recent years. Park outside a whole foods and you will see trucks come in from several different wholesalers and distributors, as you will at any other chain. You will also see produce trucks from wholesalers and distributors behind the farmer's market. You can't anymore pull a pickup truck into the back door of Whole Food's and sell a load of green beans than you can fly.

The distributor or wholesaler is inspecting the crop, grading it, and then reselling it to the chain. They then send in the proper equipment to the small farm, load it, and then go to the next farm on the route. It then goes back to the warehouse, inventoried and the stores are notified what is available to the produce buyer at store level.

I suspect, though I do not know her job routine, that the "forager" is simply doing PR with locals, and setting them up with established distributors. Whole Foods has to hold someone's feet to the fire in order to keep the shelves stocked, and you simply can't do that with the small guys when you are ordering a month out.

It is a misconception I think that distributors and wholesalers don't habitually buy local. They do in fact. Dollars and sense, it is cheaper to bring to market, and you are reducing the time you are spending with a perishable inventory on your hands. There are quite a few small, and yes privately owned, distributors and wholesalers out there that work on a strictly regional basis as far as sales are concerned, but keep a big net spread as far as purchasing is concerned. Although I do know that ALL of them large and small have a special relationship with places like the Philly and Jersey terminal produce markets. Lakeland, Florida is quite a monster, as well.

The retailer orders what he thinks will sell, and that is changing so rapidly.

I guess I am just repeating russ parson's point here. The market pressures are encouraging a sea change in the produce industry. It will never be the same again.

ETA: And no, Pollan wrote a very interesting and informative book, but the sea change had begun when the first guy on iron chef whipped out a daikon and mama demanded one from the produce manager at the Kroger. And probably before that with cooking shows on PBS.

Edited March 25, 2007 by annecros (log)