[Photo: Whole Foods Market]
The first store was opened in 1980 in Austin, Texas. Shortly after, Whole Foods Market was hit by the Memorial Day flood of 1981, which is the biggest flood in Austin’s history. The 11,000 square-foot building was under seven feet of water.
[Photo: Whole Foods Market]
The company stopped using plastic bags on Earth Day in 2008. Since then, 150 million plastic bags have been kept out of landfills.
[Photo: Instagram]
In 2004, Whole Foods Market opened their gluten-free bakery. The idea came from employee Lee Tobin, who was diagnosed with celiac disease. He began experimenting with gluten-free baking and the Whole Foods Market Gluten Free Bakehouse was born.
[Photo: Whole Foods Market]
Fortune has named Whole Foods Market one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” for 18 years in a row! They have been on the list since its inception.
[Photo: Whole Foods Market]
Whole Foods Market believes in an open salary policy, meaning that any employee can look up the salary of another employee. No exceptions. The idea is to create an open discussion and healthy competition within the company. Also, the average hourly wage for full-time employees was $19.16 in 2014.
[Photo: Whole Foods Market]
Co-founder and CEO John Mackey has been receiving a $1 annual salary since 2007. “I have reached a place in my life where I no longer want to work for money," he wrote in a letter to employees. "The tremendous success of Whole Foods Market has provided me with far more money than I ever dreamed I'd have and far more than is necessary for either my financial security or personal happiness."
[Photo: Whole Foods Market]
There’s a skating rink on top of their flagship location in Austin, Texas! Whole Foods Market hosts ice skating every holiday season.
[Photo: Whole Foods Market]
Whole Foods Market has an “unaccepted ingredients” list. All the items on this list cannot be in any Whole Foods product. Some of the ingredients include artificial flavors, hydrogenated fats and many more.
[Photo: Instagram]
