What is the Local Producer Loan Program?
Through the Local Producer Loan Program, Whole Foods Market lends money to small, local, independent producers to help them expand their businesses. We have completed loans to organic vegetable farmers, a heritage turkey grower, a nutritional protein bar maker, a kombucha fermenter, a maker of body care products, and many others. The program is driven by the eleven regions of Whole Foods Market, with support from the Local Producer Loan Program office in Austin. The loan program strengthens producers’ relationships with our regions and supports the development of specific products (including organic and animal compassionate products) that we would like to include in our stores. Here is a description of the program as originally announced in John Mackey’s blog in June 2006: “We have set up an annual budget of $10 million to promote local agriculture (especially animal agriculture) wherever we have stores through long-term loans at low rates of interest. Select Regional and Store Buyers
