EUGENE, Ore. (September 27, 2016) – Whole Foods Market will open its doors in Eugene, Oregon on Wednesday, Sept. 28. The 36,750-square-foot store, located in downtown Eugene, is the first Whole Foods Market in Lane County and the ninth location in Oregon.
The store will host a bread-breaking ceremony at 8:30 a.m. Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy and David Hauser, President and CEO of the Eugene Chamber of Commerce, will join Whole Foods Market regional leaders, local suppliers and community partners to welcome shoppers. Doors open and shopping begins at 9 a.m.
“Long before we ever broke ground, we spent years working with members of this community and have known for quite some time that Eugene would be a wonderful home for a Whole Foods Market store,” said Joe Rogoff, president of Whole Foods Market’s Pacific Northwest Region. “Since we opened our first store in the Northwest in 1999, we’ve been sourcing local products from across Lane County and sharing them with our customers. We are grateful for the welcome we’ve received, paving the way for meaningful partnerships with area schools, producers and community organizations. It is through this important work, and listening to the community who has generously shared their perspective, we’ve been able to create a store experience that reflects what Eugene area residents tell us they want and need. We look forward to serving the people of Lane County.”
Located at 355 E. Broadway, the new store will provide an unmatched selection of high quality natural and organic goods, as well as a wide variety of locally sourced products and delicious dining options. Shoppers visiting the new Eugene Whole Foods Market can look forward to:
- The Last Leg is a pizza eatery serving Northwest wine, beer and cider. Pizzas are made fresh daily, using organic dough and only the freshest and highest quality options. With seating for eight at the bar, The Last Leg has seven taps featuring local beer and cider including Hop Valley Experimental Fresh Hop Pale Ale (Eugene), Oakshire Brewing Pineapple Galaxy IPA (Eugene), Falling Sky Retrograde Red Ale (Eugene), Plough Monday Imperial Stout (Veneta, Ore.), Claim 52 Brewing Kolsch (Eugene), Sam Brown Filbert Brown (Eugene) and Wildcraft Cider Works Mirabell Plum Cider (Eugene).
- Whole Foods Market has partnered with Eugene coffee roaster Wandering Goat Coffee Co. to run a full-service coffee cart inside the store, offering shoppers fresh-brewed coffee and espresso drinks, made with all-organic milk.
- The Eugene store is the first Whole Foods Market location to have an Ellenos Real Greek Yogurt Bar. This Northwest-based Greek yogurt maker has developed something of a cult following for its handcrafted, creamy yogurt made from the freshest, seasonal ingredients. The company is also a Whole Foods Market Local Producer Loan Program recipient.
- Local product offerings. On top of the more than 500 local products that shoppers already find in all Whole Foods Market stores in Oregon, products from 40 new Oregon-based vendors were added as a result of Whole Foods Market’s local producer fair held in April 2016. New local products include LaBrang Tea Traders and Pasta Gardner. The store will host a series of local vendor fairs during October, allowing Whole Foods Market shoppers the opportunity to meet the hardworking food producers who are selling their products in stores.
- Partnerships with area colleges and universities that will create extra savings for students at the University of Oregon and Lane County Community College. Every Tuesday through the duration of the school year, students with a valid school ID will benefit from a 10 percent discount.
- Top-notch customer service: 100 new team members were hired for this store, many from the local Eugene community and surrounding areas
- Organic and Non-GMO verified choices. Clearly labeled products enable shoppers who want to know which foods are made without GMOs to do so. All 365 Everyday Value® food products are enrolled in the Non-GMO Project.
As part of Whole Foods Market’s commitment to serving every community where it does business, the store’s Team Members will present a $2,000 check to the Willamette Farm and Food Coalition.
Whole Kids Foundation, a nonprofit founded by Whole Foods Market, announced two Eugene schools as recipients of 2016 Garden Grants earlier this year: Prairie Mountain School and Stepping Stones. This brings the total to five Eugene K-12 school organizations that have received Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grants since the program began in 2011. Created in partnership with FoodCorps, the Garden Grant program provides a $2,000 monetary grant to each school to support an edible educational garden. Other garden grant recipients include Edison Elementary in 2015, The Village School in 2014, and Eugene 4J School District in 2012.
Shoppers visiting Whole Foods Market’s Eugene store can look forward to a full-service experience:
- Quality Standards and Selection in the Meat Department – All products in the full-service meat department come from animals raised without antibiotics or added growth hormones. Whole Foods Market’s animal welfare standards are industry leading and include the Global Animal Partnership’s (GAP) 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating Standards. Whole Foods Market’s Eugene store is proud to offer beef from Country Natural Co-Op ranchers.
- An Industry-leading Seafood Team – Whole Foods Market’s quality standards for seafood lead the industry. All of the wild-caught seafood is certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or rated either a green or yellow by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and The Sarafina Center. The seafood department takes the hassle out of prepping seafood, and our in-store fishmongers will fillet whole fish, skin and debone fish, peel and devein shrimp, shuck oysters and, with 48 hours’ notice, smoke fish per customers’ requests. Whole Foods Market sources seafood from Northwest producers including Harmony Seafood, Lummi Island Wild, SeaBear, and Gerard and Dominique.
- Highest Quality Produce – The Produce department offers locally sourced produce from growers such as Groundworks, Springhill, Redneck, Siri+Sons, Mustard Seed, Denison, Whitewater Ranch and Cascade Pacific Farms.
- Prepared Foods Galore – A wide range of grab-and-go meal options will be available daily, including a taqueria venue, signature and made-to-order sandwiches and a self-service pizza station. A rotating hot bar, and a salad bar with plenty of organic vegetables and fresh-cut fruit makes mealtime decisions quick and convenient. Everything made and sold by our prepared foods team complies with our ingredient standards.
- Bakery Department – One of the highlights of the new Eugene store is the bakery department, featuring local products including Shepard’s Grain flour. Sandwich bread and bagels will be made in-house daily. Shoppers can find handmade artisan bread from Eugene-based Metropol Bakery.
- Specialty Department – Shoppers can find the finest local and organic artisan cheeses, a wide variety of pickles, olives, pates, fresh pastas, dips and nitrate-free cured meats. The Specialty department has sourced some of the finest cheeses from the region, including selections from Rogue Creamery, Willamette Valley and River’s Edge.
- All Cage-free Eggs – Whole Foods Market has made a commitment to sell eggs that come from cage-free hens and will carry local, organic eggs from Deck Family Farms.
- Food Rescue – Food for Lane County and Whole Foods Market will work together to collect and distribute food to Lane County food banks.
- Whole Foods Market 5 Percent Days — To celebrate the Eugene store opening, Whole Foods Market has committed to a series of eight 5 Percent Days, with 5 percent of that day’s net sales going to a local 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization or community partner. The first 5 Percent Day will be on Wednesday, October 5, with proceeds going to Food for Lane County. Additional 5 Percent Days include:
- Prairie Mountain School on October 12
- Eugene Mission on October 19
- The Village School on October 26
- Greenhill Humane Society on November 2
- Edison Elementary on November 9
- Edison Elementary on November 16
- The Stepping Stone on November 23
Store Information
Hours: Open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Location: 353 E. Broadway, Eugene, Ore.
Store Telephone: 541-434-8820
Web site: www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/eugene
