Whole Foods Co-op staff meet annually with some of our local farmers to reflect on the previous year and plan for the year ahead. 

This year, our Hillside Grocery Manager, Corrina, wrote a heartfelt letter to our farmers ahead of this meeting. The letter thoughtfully reflects how much everyone at the Co-op values the people doing the hard work that contributes to our regional food economy. We are grateful for her permission to share it with you.

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An Open Letter to Our Local Farmers and Food Producers

To our local farmers and producers — thank you.

Thank you for the early mornings and the long days. Thank you for your care, your integrity, and your unwavering commitment to your land, your waters, your flocks and to this community. The dedication you bring to your products and your practices does not go unnoticed.

I continue to be amazed by this industry; by its resilience, innovation, perseverance, and heart. You manage changing markets, changing weather, changing regulations, equipment breakdowns, feed costs, fuel costs, and yet somehow still show up week after week with incredible products.

What you do isn’t just work — it’s a series of promises: a promise to steward land and water responsibly; a promise to feed families with food grown thoughtfully and ethically; a promise to strengthen the community that surrounds you.

What amazes me most isn’t just the hard work, though there’s plenty of that. It’s your stewardship. 

You’re not just growing vegetables, harvesting seafood, or producing eggs. You’re caring for land that was here long before us and protecting it for the people who will farm and fish it long after us. And that kind of long view is rare.

You make decisions today that won’t just affect this season’s yield, but the health of the soil and waters for years to come. You are always considering the sustainability of your operations for the next generation, whether that’s your kids, someone else’s kids, or young producers just getting started. We watch your patience, your tenacity, and your respect for the land and water. You show what’s possible, and you quietly set an example for that next generation of farmers, fishermen, and producers.

That’s leadership. And it’s something I deeply respect. 

Because of you, we’re able to offer food with a story, and that story is of food that’s grown and gathered with transparency and intention. You don’t just supply products, you build trust. You strengthen this community in ways that go far beyond what’s on a plate. 

There’s a humility in this work that I really admire. You don’t do it for applause. You do it because it matters. Because feeding people matters.

Stewarding land and water matters. Producing food with care and integrity matters. You are the connection, the resilience, and a driving force behind a thriving regional economy.

We don’t take that lightly.

Through your work, this isn’t just a food system that feeds us today — it’s one that will feed the next generation. And that’s something worth standing behind.

We are incredibly fortunate to partner with people who work as hard and care as much as you do. Thank you for the early mornings, the long seasons, the unpredictability, and for continuing to believe in local. 

You’re not just producing food — you’re protecting a future. And we’re proud to stand with you in that work.

So truly — thank you.

Corrina R., Hillside Grocery Manager