Whole Foods Market is a multinational supermarket chain that is known to seek “the finest and organic foods available.” Their purpose “is to nourish people and the planet” and “to set the standards of excellence for food retailers.”

When the Whole Foods team was planning to open a new store in Manhattan West, they wanted to find new ways to continue elevating their standards of excellence and provide the highest quality ingredients possible to the community they serve. The challenge was presented to Farm.One’s team to help imagine new ways for Whole Foods to educate their shoppers about how their food is grown and create a truly local farm in the store. 

In one of the highest traffic retail spaces at the store, Farm.One proposed a fully functional mini-farm that provides Whole Foods’ customers with fresh and delicious Farm.One Blue Spice Basil for prepared  dishes. With the herbs growing within walking distance of the kitchen, customers experience openness and transparency in an entirely new way. They are reassured that the ingredients are the highest quality and grown in the cleanest ways possible. 

This farm features a three-level deep water culture hydroponic system. Because of the vertical use of space, there is enough space to grow 150 plants, providing Whole Foods’ kitchen with a constant supply of hydroponically grown basil using a mere in-store footprint of  36 square feet. 

The facade of the unit is made of stainless steel and tempered glass to match the aesthetic of the prepared foods area that’s familiar to every Whole Foods shopper. 

An important factor in the farm’s design is ease of use, with minimal training and supervision, by Whole Foods staff who harvest daily. Additionally, the farm is built to require little maintenance by Farm.One’s team of farmers and engineers that travel to Manhattan West from the Farm.One Flagship farm in Tribeca to ensure that the hydroponic systems are operating efficiently and the plants are always in peak health.

As Whole Foods shoppers approach the mini-farm the first thing they notice is the natural fragrance of living, fresh Farm.One Blue Spice Basil that is thriving in its optimal growing environment.  The basil is used in various  menu items in the store’s prepared foods and drinks. 

While the mini-farm’s purpose is to supply the kitchen with fresh herbs, it is also designed to stimulate curiosity, conversation and awareness about what is possible around open, transparent and clean food production, even in one of the world’s most densely populated cities. The Whole Foods mini-farm is a showcase to discerning consumers and foodies that this level of quality and cleanliness is possible at scale in any city around the world.