Washington, D.C. (June 28, 2023) – Whole Foods Market opened its new 47,000-square-foot store today at 8 a.m. in the historic Walter Reed development, located on the corner of 12th St. NW and Dahlia St. NW. The new location’s product assortment features more than 800 local items from across the greater D.C., Maryland and Virginia area, sourced with the help of Daniela D’Ambrosio, Local Forager for Whole Foods Market., Local Forager for Whole Foods Market.
“We’re thrilled to open our doors in the historic Walter Reed neighborhood,” said Donovan Morris, Store Team Leader for Whole Foods Market.” 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.”
During the opening day ceremonies, the grocer announced that local supplier Dress It Up Dressing is the newest recipient of the Local Producer Loan Program (LPLP), receiving a $150,000 low-interest loan from Whole Foods Market to grow their operations and support their recent expansion to all Whole Foods Market stores nationwide. Through LPLP, Whole Foods Market lends money to small-scale, local or emerging producers to help them grow their businesses. To date, the retailer has provided over 360 loans, representing roughly $26 million in capital for recipients.
Features of the newest Washington, D.C., store include:
- Store design that embraces calming colors and reflective finishes, offering a nostalgic feel that blends with the architecture of the old army hospital.
- 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 and fresh floral selections from Bloomia.
- Specialty department dedicated to celebrating cheesemakers and artisan producers. Local items include artisan crackers from Firehook, goat and cow’s milk cheeses from FireFly Farms and fresh pastas from La Pasta. The cheese counter is overseen by a Certified Cheese Professional who can offer recommendations for any occasion and create custom boards.
- Curated grocery section with favorites from the grocer’s 365 by Whole Foods Market brand and local products including frozen treats from Ice Cream Jubilee, granola from Oh-Mazing and pickled vegetables from Veggie*Confetti.
- Full-service seafood counter featuring jumbo lump crab cakes, lobster rolls and seasoned and marinated fillets. Local options include smoked salmon from Ivy City Smokehouse, Maryland crabmeat from M. Clayton Seafood Company and oysters and condiments from Rappahannock Oyster Co. All offerings from the Seafood Department are either sustainable wild-caught or Responsibly Farmed.
- Full-service meat counter, with butchers available to cut steaks and poultry to order. Features include in-house dry aged beef and made-in-house pork, and both chicken and lamb sausages. Local options include chicken from Bell & Evans, turkey from Koch’s Turkey Farm and pork from Pennbrook Acres Farms.
- Extensive, curated selection of wines featuring international and vintage offerings sourced by Whole Foods Market’s expert 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 that includes sushi from Kikka Sushi, New York style pizza, and hot food and salad bars featuring new offerings like grilled barbecue tofu with peach salsa and bacon ranch tortellini.
- Bakery department offering made-in-house bread as well as everyday favorites, such as Whole Foods Market’s Berry Chantilly Cake and brown butter cookies. The department also carries a wide variety of special diet items, including vegan croissants and scones. Local offerings include cookies and pies from Whisked by Jenna and cake slices from Sweet & Natural.
- Whole Body section featuring a variety of local products, including candles from Handmade Habitat and Frères Branchiaux Candle Co., hair and body care from Shea Radiance and gifts from The Neighborgoods.
Whole Foods Market Historic Walter Reed store will be open from 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. EST on opening day. The store’s regular hours will be 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. EST daily following the opening.
All food at Whole Foods Market must meet the company’s rigorous Quality Standards, which prohibit hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrup and more than 260 flavors, colors, sweeteners and other ingredients commonly found in food. In addition, all beauty and body care products must meet the company’s body care standards, which ban more than 180 commonly used ingredients, including phthalates, parabens and microbeads.
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. Whole Foods Market is also proud to donate meals to food rescue and redistribution programs across the D.C. area by working with Food Donation Connection.
Amazon Prime members who shop at Whole Foods Market have access to a number of benefits year-round, including deep discounts on select popular products each week and an additional 10% off hundreds of in-store sale items. Grocery pickup is available at Whole Foods Market Walter Reed. For more information and hours of operation, please visit www.wfm.com/stores/historicwalterreed.
About Whole Foods Market
For more than 40 years, Whole Foods Market has been the world’s leading natural and organic foods retailer. As the first certified organic national grocer, Whole Foods Market has more than 500 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. To learn more about Whole Foods Market, please visit https://media.wholefoodsmarket.com/.
