Whole Foods Market: Beyond The Board

This holiday season, we're celebrating the people who built Whole Foods Market. Margaret Wittenberg, Team Member #24, spent more than three decades helping shape the quality standards customers still count on today. She joins CEO Jason Buechel and Ambassador of Food Culture Cathy Strange to look back on how it all started.
 
We cover:
Joining Whole Foods Market in 1981 and helping rebuild our first store after the historic Memorial Day flood

Representing retailers on the USDA's National Organic Standards Board and helping put the 1990 U.S. organic law into practice

Her philosophy of being curious and having fun and why she believes regenerative organic is the future of food

Organic Spotlight: The U.S. organic law was signed on Nov. 28, 1990. Margaret helped bring the standards behind the USDA Organic seal to life, and her work still shapes what you find on our shelves today.
 
Enjoyed this episode? Follow Beyond the Board for conversations with the founders, innovators, and thought leaders shaping how we eat – and the stories behind the brands you love.

Chris Kirby, founder and chef behind Ithaca Hummus, joins Whole Foods Market CMMO Sonya Gafsi Oblisk to talk about how a fine-dining chef set out to make hummus exciting again.
We cover:
How Chris went from French fine-dining kitchens to a farmers market hummus stand in Ithaca
Why he led with bold flavors like lemon garlic instead of classic and turned it into the brand's edge
The Ithaca x Graza collab and the "taste outside your comfort zone" philosophy behind everything from flavor to the square white tub
Trend Spotlight: The Bean Boom
Beans, legumes, and chickpeas are having a moment and they're one of Whole Foods Market's 2027 food trends. Ithaca is proof the humble chickpea can be anything but boring.

Simu Liu – actor and chief content officer at MiLa Soup Dumplings – and co-founder Jen Liao join Whole Foods Market CEO Jason Buechel for a special live episode.
We cover:
How Simu got involved and the story of his parents eating an entire shipment of nearly 100 dumplings
How MiLa went from Ziploc bags on doorsteps to 1.7 million dumplings per day without losing the restaurant quality
Why the top 5 Chinese food SKUs in grocery stores haven't changed in 25 years and how MiLa is changing that
Best advice from Jen and Simu, whether you're starting something new or feeling stuck
Trend Spotlight: Freezer Fine Dining
Find MiLa Dumplings in the frozen aisle at Whole Foods Market and enjoy for National Dumpling Day on September 26.
Enjoyed this episode? Follow Beyond the Board for conversations with the founders, innovators, and thought leaders shaping how we eat – and the stories behind the brands you love.
At a Glance:
4:30 – Making a frozen dumpling that tastes like it came from a restaurant
7:15 – Simu's parents eat an entire shipment of nearly 100 dumplings claiming better than Din Tai Fung
17:30 – The top 5 Chinese food SKUs haven't changed in 25 years
23:00 – Best advice from Jen and Simu
27:30 – Simu's dream: a MiLa Super Bowl commercial
30:00 – Jen's dad gives feedback on her Dan Dan Noodle recipe to make it even better
31:20 – Why the brand is called MiLa: sweet and spicy, carve your own space
32:15 – Lightning round: favorite MiLa product, Marvel vs. Barbie, and more

Alysa Seeland, founder and CEO of FOND Regenerative, joins Whole Foods Market CEO Jason Buechel for a special episode filmed at Expo West.
We cover:
How a health crisis at 23 and a bone broth diet led to selling out at a farmer's market on day one
Fun ways to work nutrient-dense bone broth into everyday cooking (yes, even hot chocolate)
The tallow trend and why Alysa wanted to launch it since 2019 (originally wanting to call it "flavored meat butter" ha!)
FOND's regenerative sourcing journey – from 17 farmers to 581
Trend Spotlight: Tallow Takeover
Enjoyed this episode? Follow Beyond the Board for conversations with the founders, innovators, and thought leaders shaping the future of food – and the stories behind the brands you love.
Find FOND Regenerative bone broth and tallow on shelves at Whole Foods Market.
At a Glance:
2:30 – A health crisis at 23 and the bone broth diet that changed everything
5:00 – Selling out at the farmer's market on day one
9:00 – From 17 regenerative farmers to 581 with Whole Foods
14:00 – What "regenerative verified" actually means – and why it matters
21:00 – The journey to getting on Whole Foods shelves (and hearing "no" first)
25:00 – Surviving a warehouse fire and choosing to self-fund growth
40:00 – Fun ways to use bone broth, tallow, and duck fat at home

Becca Millstein, co-founder and CEO of Fishwife, joins Whole Foods Market CMMO Sonya Gafsi Oblisk on how she disrupted the tin fish aisle.
We cover:
How tapas bars in Spain and a pandemic-era light bulb moment led to the fastest-growing premium tinned fish brand in America
The story behind the name "Fishwife" and the iconic illustrated packaging
Sardine girl summer, Kitchen Couture, and how Fishwife breathed new life into the category
Enjoyed this episode? Follow Beyond the Board for conversations with the founders, innovators, and thought leaders shaping the future of food – and the stories behind the brands you love.
At a Glance:
0:08 – What is Fishwife?
1:30 – From tapas bars in Spain to a pandemic light bulb moment
9:40 – The name "Fishwife" and reclaiming brash
11:10 – Building the brand with illustrator Danny Miller
14:30 – Sardine girl summer and the tin fish trend cycle
18:50 – Sourcing standards: building a supply chain with Whole Foods
27:00 – Innovation, collabs, and doing two brand partnerships a month
33:00 – The Whole Foods x Fishwife tote bags – designed in 24 hours
39:50 – Lightning Round