‘Whole foods, whole people, whole planet’
BY GLORIA STRAVELLI
Staff Writer

PHOTOSBY CHRIS KELLY staff Whole Foods in Middletown is a leading retailer of natural and organic foods.

RED BANK — Second Nature is closed, but Cherie Jiosne is still dealing with some of the same local farmers who supplied organic produce to the vegan health food store she founded a decade ago in Red Bank.

“My favorite local farmer is farmer Ed Lidzbarski, he’s at the Red Bank Farmers Market every week. I dealt with him for years and I still get to do that. He’s one of several local farmers we deal with,” said Jiosne, who has segued to a new career as assistant team leader in the bounteous produce department at the newly opened Whole Foods Market in Middletown.

“Produce was always our ‘proud corner’ at Second Nature,” Joisne said. “For me, particularly as a strict vegan, produce is where I want to be.

“Whole Foods Market has very high standards in quality and in the way produce is displayed, she said. “We carry conventional and organic produce — fruits, vegetables, herbs and eclectic things I would have liked to carry, like taro root, exotic mushrooms like morels. There’s a huge variety.

GLORIASTRAVELLI Cherie Jiosne says company values at Whole Foods Market are in step with her own.

“This is a good fit for me for a lot of reasons,” she continued. “It’s a very progressive company, which I like. There are lots of women in power, minorities, gay people. They have no issues like that, and that’s very important for me.”

Jiosne hadn’t planned to take another job so soon after closing Second Nature in June, but those factors plus generous benefits and working close to her Red Bank home made the market a perfect fit, she said.

“But all of that wouldn’t matter if it weren’t that I felt the company is doing positive things for the local community, and supporting local farms and causes,” she added.

In fact, when Whole Foods Market opened June 15 in the Chapel Hill Shopping Center on Route 35 north, it turned its preview night into a benefit for Clean Ocean Action and matched the $25,000 raised by the ocean advocacy group that night, said Kristen Rabourdin, marketing team leader.

According to the company Web site, Whole Foods donates at least 5 percent of profits annually to nonprofit organizations.

A leading world retailer of natural and organic foods puts its philosophy into action, Jiosne noted, by using solar power for a new distribution center, converting produce trimmings into compost, buying alternatively produced electricity.

According to Rabourdin, the 48,000-square-foot Middletown market is the company’s eighth market in New Jersey. Whole Foods has 171 stores in operation in 28 U.S. states, Canada and the U.K. Sales in fiscal 2004 reached $3.9 billion, a 14.9 percent increase over the prior year. Company projections call for 300 markets by 2010 and $10 billion in sales.

The company’s motto, “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet,” reflects core values that include: “sell the highest quality natural and organic products available, satisfy and delight customers, care about team members’ happiness and excellence, care about our communities and environment,” according to the Web site.

At the Middletown market, health-conscious consumers will find a large selection of conventional, organic and Earth-friendly products. Here, natural doesn’t mean plain Jane; there are enough choices to satisfy even the most demanding gourmand.

Amenities include a fresh juice bar, nut-roasting center for making fresh nut butters, cheeses from around the world, natural and organic meats, fresh seafood, a wine and beer department, a bakery with artisan breads, desserts and a coffee station, a prepared food department that includes a chili and stew station, rotisserie meat and poultry, two salad bars, a hot foods bar of Latin and Indian cuisines, pizza, sushi and a café.

Niche departments include gluten-free products, a whole body department of natural and organic body care items and cosmetics, vitamins and nutritional supplements, natural baby, pet and cleaning products.

Whole Foods Market isn’t just a purveyor of wholesome products; since its inception, the company has worked with local farmers, ranchers, fishermen and artisan food makers to establish guidelines for natural, organic and sustainable foods.

The emphasis is on products made locally and the preference is for small-scale, dedicated food artisans. The aim is to stock the highest quality, least processed, most flavorful and naturally preserved food.

To make them available to consumers, Whole Foods actively supports organic farming as the best method for promoting sustainable agriculture and protecting the environment and farm workers, the Web site says. It also actively promotes humane treatment of farm animals.

To maintain its high standards, Whole Foods operates its own regional distribution centers, bakehouses, commissary kitchens, four seafood processing facilities, two produce procurement centers and a coffee roasting operation, Rabourdin said.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods began as a small health-food store founded by John Mackey in 1980. That store later merged with another local natural foods store to form the foundation for Whole Foods Market. Mackey, as chairman and chief executive, has led the market through 25 years of growth through mergers and internal development.

For Jiosne, the rewards of her new position include getting to see a lot of her former customers.

“Every day I run into someone. They just like to see somebody they know, and it’s great for me. The thing I miss most about not having a store is the people I saw every day.

“Plus, I’m a strict vegan; produce is my everyday, complete diet. I am able to help customers who have questions get answers. I still do get to make that difference.”

Store hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. For more information, call Whole Foods at (732) 758-1688 or visit www.wholefoodsmarket.com.