Thirteen blends of Whole Foods Market brand coffee will now include the Sourced for Good seal, marking the first grocery-aisle expansion of the third-party certification.
All Whole Foods Market brand coffees also carry a third-party certification for sourcing from Rainforest Alliance or Fair Trade. They must be organic or Non-GMO Project Verified and meet the retailer’s high standards for food ingredients.
“We are thrilled to bring the Sourced for Good program to more aisles across our stores, starting with our Whole Foods Market brand coffee blends,” said Alyssa Vescio, SVP of merchandising for the Austin, Texas-based company.
“This certification not only deepens our relationship with suppliers, but also gives our customers the opportunity to make an even bigger impact, supporting environmental stewardship and workers in communities where these products are sourced.”
Already found in the produce and floral departments, Sourced for Good is Whole Foods Market’s third-party certification program, supporting responsible sourcing by providing tangible improvements in farmworkers’ lives, strengthening worker communities where products are sourced and promoting environmental stewardship where crops are grown.
The grocer has announced that all six of its single-origin coffees will also include a Q Coffee mark and score of 86+ on the front of the package, a certification awarded by the Coffee Quality Institute that signifies the coffee is consistently of specialty quality.
“We’re so excited to see the coveted Q Coffee mark and an impressive Q mark score of 86+ front-and-center on all Whole Foods Market brand single-origin coffees,” said Kelly Amoroso, senior coffee and tea buyer for Allegro Coffee Company and certified Q Grader.
“Consumers already familiar with these single-origin blends can now find and enjoy them under the Whole Foods Market brand, and new customers seeking high quality, specialty coffee with unique flavors can look for the Q mark score to discover coffees offering delicious complexity in every cup.”
Customers can look for Whole Foods Market brand classic blends like Breakfast, Rainforest and Continental, which are now Sourced for Good, and single-origin coffees with the Q mark score such as Ethiopia, Kenya and Costa Rica, on shelves of Whole Foods Market stores nationwide by the end of October.
Read more beverage and packaging news from The Shelby Report.
