Whole Foods Market revealed Wednesday the opening of a 47,000-square-foot store in the historic Walter Reed development, a converted army medical center campus, in Washington D.C. The new location’s product assortment features more than 800 local items from across the greater D.C., Maryland, and Virginia areas.
“We’re thrilled to open our doors in the historic Walter Reed neighborhood,” said Donovan Morris, store team leader for Whole Foods Market, in a statement. “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.”
Features of the store include:
• 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.
• Specialty department with local products that include crackers from Firehook, goat and cow’s milk cheeses from FireFly Farms, and fresh pastas from La Pasta.
• Curated grocery section with local products including frozen treats from Ice Cream Jubilee, granola from Oh-Mazing, and pickled vegetables from Veggie*Confetti.
• Full-service seafood counter featuring local options like smoked salmon from Ivy City Smokehouse, Maryland crabmeat from M. Clayton Seafood Company, and oysters and condiments from Rappahannock Oyster Co; all offerings are either sustainable wild-caught or Responsibly Farmed.
• Full-service meat counter including local options like chicken from Bell & Evans, turkey from Koch’s Turkey Farm, and pork from Pennbrook Acres Farms.
• Curated selection of wines featuring international and vintage offerings sourced by Whole Foods Market’s wine team.
• Selection of more than 250 craft beers; local options include DC Brau Brewing, Aslin Beer Co., and Right Proper Brewing Company.
• Prepared Foods section featuring sushi from Kikka Sushi, New York style pizza, and hot food and salad bars.
• Bakery department offering a variety of special dietary items, including vegan croissants and scones; local offerings include cookies and pies from Whisked by Jenna and cake slices from Sweet & Natural.
During the opening day ceremonies, the grocer announced that local supplier Dress It Up Dressing is the latest recipient of the Local Producer Loan Program, receiving a $150,000 low-interest loan 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 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.
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Image: Twitter: @TheParksDC