Who knew that one of the most impressive things about USA for me will be the supermarkets. If we are talking about appearance, then Eliseevskiy store built in a former palace in Moscow will definitely take the first place (I wrote about it here). But if we are talking about quality of products and selection, then Whole Foods Flagship Store in Austin, TX is the most amazing place. I am not a shopaholic in the least but this store blew my mind away!
Now, if you live in USA, you might as well close this page now – it’s not brand-new information. When we talk about consumerism – America has it all. It’s very hard to amaze you guys with selection or quality. But if you are pretty much from any other country in the world and regard a supermarket only as a place to get your weekly groceries – you are up for some surprises.
Whole Foods is a chain of grocery stores across USA that is specialized in natural and organic food which is amazing given how hard it can be to find something edible that is not filled with colors, preservatives and artificial flavors. The company has a set of regulations that let only safe natural produce onto the shelves of the stores.
Any Whole Foods store is awesome, but the flagship store in Austin is really something! First thing first, organic products. You can find anything organic here, literally anything. Organic veggies and fruits, obviously.
Organic coffee…
Organic bread…
Organic baked goods (love the slogan, by the way)…
Organic spices…
Organic grains…
Mind you, all these are different types of rice only! You are not likely to find even conventional rice in so many varieties in a Russian supermarket, and here you have organic sushi rice, organic sweet brown rice, organic basmati and organic wild rice. Wow!
The label “USDA organic” you see on most products means this food is grown and processed according to federal guidelines. In short, “organic” means no toxic or persistent pesticides are used, no synthetic fertilizers, no GMO (genetically modified organisms), no antibiotics and no synthetic growth hormones. There’s organic muesli, too, 15 different types of it.
Organic cheese…
Anything edible you can think of is here in its most natural state.
Then, of course, there’s non-edible stuff. Like natural cosmetics…
And safe cleaning products…
And sustainable natural clothes and jewelry…
They. Have. Everything. Including prepared food.
Prepared food is marked for your convenience with labels “good”, “better”, “best”. Now you don’t even have to think much or read labels, it’s done for you (I still read labels, though).
There are other cool things like “build your own parfait” station with variety of yogurts, fresh fruits and granola mixes.
But as if all these awesome natural food wasn’t enough they have cafes inside the supermarket. Who knows maybe today, while stacking your trolley with organic potatoes and all-natural macaroni you will feel like tacos but tomorrow you might want a fatty smoked brisket. So they have it all: taco stand…
Bbq restaurant…
Bistro…
Juicing station and coffee house…
And even a bar! We all know how tiring grocery shopping can get, a glass of wine afterwards can be helpful.
I am still not done here! Whole Foods has weekly events like kid’s club with story time, crafts and snacks; beer tasting; live music event celebrating the start of summer; cooking classes and so on.
And on top of that the company is involved in all kind of good deeds: from giving food to local food banks and shelters to fighting poverty through microlending in rural communities around the world. This place is simply amazing and I wasn’t paid to write this. Funny enough, it is a very famous tourist destination in Austin and the most photographed place in the city.
The only drawback is the prices, of course. Eating healthy is really, I mean really, expensive. There’s a reason why they say: “shop at Whole Foods and leave your whole salary there”. But it’s definitely a foodie’s paradise and a great place to take a look at while you are visiting Austin.
Address: 1105 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX
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