Whole Foods Market opened a new 43,916-square-foot store July 17 at 350 Walt Whitman Road in Huntington Station, New York.
The store’s design emphasizes simplicity and modernity, incorporating elements reminiscent of the bay area’s fluidity and the neighborhood’s commuter heritage. The new location’s product assortment features more than 2,000 local items from the Northeast, sourced with the help of John Lawson, forager for local and emerging brands at Whole Foods Market.
On opening morning, customers were able to sample coffee from Sail Away Coffee Co., muffins from Abe’s and a sunflower photo station from Tucker Farms. The first 300 customers in line received a limited-edition Huntington Station tote bag and a Secret Saver coupon featuring offers up to $100 off.
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Features of the Huntington Station Whole Foods Market store include:
- Curated grocery section filled with exclusive brand favorites and local products, including new to Whole Foods Market suppliers L’Isolina Pasta, The White Moustache, Don Carvajal Café and La Rossi Pizza, which will be exclusive to the Huntington Station location;
- An array of certified organic, conventional and “Sourced for Good” produce, plus offerings from more than 11 local farms and suppliers, including local sunflowers and floral bunches from Tucker Farms and Cranbury Fields, Rubi tomatoes from Oishii and packaged salads from Satur Farms;
- Specialty department dedicated to celebrating cheesemakers and artisan producers, including 20 local suppliers. Local items include fresh mozzarella from Lioni Laticini, sauces from Gotham Greens and ricotta from Calabro Cheese. The cheese counter will be overseen by trained cheesemongers and a certified cheese professional who can offer recommendations for any occasion and create custom boards;
- Full-service seafood counter featuring locally and globally sourced seafood and a large selection of ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat seafood. Local options include oysters from West Robins Oyster Co., smoked salmon from Catsmo Artisan Smokehouse and seafood cakes from Lagniappe Foods. All offerings are either sustainable wild-caught or responsibly-farmed;
- A meat counter, with butchers available to cut steaks and poultry to order;
- Extensive selection of more than 300 craft beers, including 40 local suppliers. Local options include Money IPA from Barrier Brewing, Sun Up IPA from TALEA Beer Co. and Rose Cider from Sand City Brewing;
- A prepared foods department featuring a hot bar, salad bar and fresh pizza. Customers can also shop for made-to-order sandwiches and rotisserie chicken;
- Bakery department offering bread baked fresh daily as well as everyday favorites, such as Whole Foods Market’s Berry Chantilly Cake and brown butter chocolate chip cookies. The department also carries a wide variety of special diet items. Local offerings include pastries from Balthazar, pita bread from Angel Bakeries and muffins from Abe’s; and
- Wellness and beauty section featuring more than 300 local products from 40 local suppliers. Local products include ginger shots from Annie’s Ginger Elixir and soap bars from RAD Soap Co.
To give back to the community, Whole Foods Market has partnered with local suppliers and organizations, including Helping Hands Rescue Mission, Long Island Cares and Island Harvest. Whole Foods Market donated a Nourishing Our Neighborhoods van to We All We Got Inc., along with $3,000 in products as part of the Stuff the Van event.
This initiative, part of the Nourishing Our Neighborhoods program launched in 2020, aims to enhance the operational capabilities of local food rescue organizations, enabling the transport of food from surplus locations to areas with the greatest need.
All food at Whole Foods Market must meet the company’s quality standards, which prohibit hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrup and more than 300 flavors, colors, sweeteners and other ingredients commonly found in food. In addition, all beauty and body care products must meet the company’s body care standards, which ban more than 240 commonly used ingredients, including phthalates, parabens and microbeads.
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