Ag Weekly Online: Twin Falls, Idaho

THORNTON, Colo. (April 23, 2007) — Whole Foods Market (Nasdaq: WFMI), the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket, has named the first five recipients of low-interest, long-term local loans in the retailer’s Rocky Mountain region that spans Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Utah and Idaho.

The Whole Foods Market Local Producer Loan Program is part of a nationwide initiative to support local agriculture and food producers, according to spokesman Barry Hirsch. The company has committed $10 million to the loan program this year, of which the Rocky Mountain Region’s first five loans total $219,000. One of the recipients is Boulder, Colorado’s award-winning Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy.

Haystack Mountain owner and founder Jim Schott said he has big plans for his $50,000 loan.

Schott intends to expand his herd of goats, upgrade his water recycling system, and offset costs of pending applications for both organic certification and certification with Humane Farm Animal Care, a national sustainable livestock management and welfare organization.

“Selling our cheese to Whole Foods Market over the course of the last 10 to 15 years has helped us to establish and grow our business,” Schott said. “Their willingness to partner with small-scale producers like us speaks volumes.”

Interest rates offered through Whole Foods Market’s pilot program— 5 percent to 9 percent — can be beneficial for small agricultural producers like Haystack Mountain, Hirsch said. The program has other attributes geared to small producers: loan application paperwork is minimized; administrative fees range from $0 to $65; no penalties are imposed for early repayment; and loan life spans from a few months to 10 years.

Other Rocky Mountain loan award recipients include:

- Desert Blends of Taos from Taos, N.M.

- Full Circle Farm from Boulder, Colo.

- Golden Toad Gourmet Sauces & Spice Blends from Littleton, Colo.

- MouCo Cheese Company from Fort Collins, Colo.

“Whole Foods Market’s intention is to support local agriculture all over the United States,” said John Mackey, co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods Market. “We are going to ‘walk our talk’ with financial support for farmers and other producers in close proximity to our stores. We believe this financial assistance of $10 million a year can make a very significant difference in helping local agriculture grow and flourish across the United States.”

To learn more about the Whole Foods Market Local Producer Loan Program and the five loan recipients from the Rocky Mountain Region, go to: www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/locallygrown/lplp/index.html.

Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market is the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket and America’s first national certified organic grocer. In fiscal year 2006, the company had sales of $5.6 billion and currently has more than 190 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Whole Foods Market, Harry’s Farmers Market, and Fresh & Wild are trademarks owned by Whole Foods Market IP, LP. Whole Foods Market employs more than 45,000 team members and has been ranked for 10 consecutive years as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America by FORTUNE magazine.

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