AeroFarms and Whole Foods Market celebrate eight years of partnership, creation of new microgreens segment

AeroFarms, an indoor vertical farming company and microgreens supplier to the U.S. retail market, celebrates eight years of partnership with Whole Foods Market, with the two working together on a new microgreens segment within the leafy greens category.

Since 2017, Whole Foods has partnered with AeroFarms, which currently offers seven microgreen products, to conduct market research and testing in the natural channel. Together, they created a new segment within the leafy greens category. This merchandising strategy has shifted how shoppers use microgreens — moving them from a garnish to center-of-the-plate salads.

"From the beginning, Whole Foods Market has been a fantastic partner, prioritizing innovation and recognizing the opportunity for microgreens to make a significant contribution to a healthy consumer diet,” said AeroFarms Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Dane Almassy. “Whole Foods’ in-store merchandising and execution of AeroFarms in the salad set has transformed the way consumers think about and use microgreens. The wide variety of flavors that AeroFarms offers can elevate a broad array of food occasions as the primary ingredient in salads, power bowls, sandwiches and more.” 

Whole Foods took a risk in devoting real estate to microgreens in their salad set but realized the market growth opportunity and consumer appetite for sustainable foods that don’t sacrifice taste, texture and nutrition, the company said in a statement.

“Partnering with AeroFarms, who is laser-focused on accessibility of nutrient-dense food options, was a no-brainer,” said Whole Foods Global Produce Category Manager Eric Cusimano. “AeroFarms delivers microgreens with the longest shelf life on the market, which enables us to deliver their microgreens to shoppers across the nation. Our ethos is to nourish people and our planet, and AeroFarms shares that, making nutrition-packed microgreens accessible to U.S. shoppers while using less resources, like water and land, to do so.”