Whole Foods votes local with newest store in nation’s capital

Local is a focal point of the newest Whole Foods Market in Washington, D.C.’s historic Walter Reed development, which features an array of certified organic, conventional and Sourced for Good produce, plus offerings from local farms, including packaged salads from Bowery Farming and Gotham Greens and fresh floral selections from Bloomia, according to a news release.

The Austin, Texas-based grocer’s eighth store in Washington, D.C., has also selected a local salad dressing supplier as its newest recipient of its Local Producer Loan Program.

Dress It Up Dressing has received a $150,000 low-interest loan from Whole Foods to grow its operations and support its recent expansion to all Whole Foods Market stores nationwide. Through the program, Whole Foods Market lends money to small-scale, local or emerging producers to help them grow their businesses. To date, the retailer has provided over 360 loans, representing roughly $26 million in capital for recipients, the release said.

The new 47,000-square-foot store on the corner of 12th Street NW and Dahlia Street NW, boasts more than 800 local items from across the greater D.C., Maryland and Virginia area, sourced with the help of Daniela D’Ambrosio, local forager for Whole Foods Market.

“We’re thrilled to open our doors in the historic Walter Reed neighborhood,” Donovan Morris, store team leader, said in the release. “I feel privileged to help bring Whole Foods Market’s knowledgeable team members, high quality standards for food, and hand-picked selection of local products to a neighborhood and community which has held a special place in my heart since childhood.”

Whole Foods says highlights of the newest Washington, D.C., store include:

• Store design that embraces calming colors and reflective finishes, offering a nostalgic feel that blends with the architecture of the old army hospital.
• Specialty department dedicated to celebrating cheesemakers and artisan producers, including a cheese counter overseen by a certified cheese professional who can offer recommendations and create custom boards.
• Curated grocery section featuring the grocer’s 365 by Whole Foods Market brand and local products including pickled vegetables from Veggie-Confetti.
• Full-service seafood counter in which all offerings are either sustainable wild-caught or responsibly farmed.
• Full-service meat counter with butchers available to cut steaks and poultry to order.
• Curated selection of wines featuring international and vintage offerings sourced by Whole Foods Market’s wine team.
• Selection of more than 250 craft beers.
• Prepared foods section that includes sushi from Kikka Sushi, New York-style pizza, and hot food and salad bars featuring new offerings like grilled barbecue tofu with peach salsa and bacon ranch tortellini.
• Bakery department offering made-in-house bread as well as everyday favorites, such as Whole Foods Market’s Berry Chantilly Cake and brown butter cookies.
• Whole Body section featuring a variety of local products.

All food at Whole Foods Market must meet the company’s rigorous quality standards, which prohibit hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrup and more than 260 flavors, colors, sweeteners and other ingredients commonly found in food, the release said.

To give back to the community, Whole Foods Market has donated to D.C. Food Project, which provides food during the school day, weekends and holiday breaks to families in need; Real Food for Kids, which works to increase access to healthy foods in the D.C. school system; and to Food Rescue D.C., an organization that recovers food from grocery stores and restaurants and distributes to social service partners.

Whole Foods Market says it is also proud to donate meals to food rescue and redistribution programs across the D.C. area by working with Food Donation Connection.