Automated vertical farming system supplies Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market stores in the Phoenix area are receiving herbs and vegetables from sustainable robotic produce supplier Opollo Farm.
Leafy greens and herbs sold under the "Willo" brand at Whole Foods Market stores in the Phoenix area are being provided by Opollo Farm: a fully automated vertical farming system built by AutoStore and OnePointOne.
How Opollo Farm works
In a warehouse outside Phoenix, thousands of herbs and vegetables grow entirely indoors in robot-powered bins and move through a towering, Rubik’s cube-like grid. Robots move crops through a precision-controlled environment, adjusting their position to deliver an ideal balance of water and nutrients while software continuously monitors each plant’s status and adjusts conditions in real time.
Harvest-ready greens are produced in 15 days, about half the time of traditional farming, and grown miles from where they're consumed. When plants are ready to harvest, the robots bring each bin to the "Port"; the single entry/exit point for the grid.
"At Whole Foods Market, we’re constantly exploring new ways to bring fresh, sustainable food to our customers," said Chris Petroulakis, category merchant for produce at Whole Foods Market. "Opollo Farm is a perfect example of how advanced technology can revolutionize local agriculture, helping to deliver high-quality, locally grown produce right to our stores faster and fresher than ever before."
Whole Foods Market promotes supply chain sustainability
Whole Foods Market has publicly committed to ethical practices and transparency in its supply chain. The natural and organice foods grocer, which is a subsidiary of Amazon, maintains a Supplier Code of Conduct it says is part of a long-term mission to promote social responsibility and continuous improvement in its supply chain.
In January 2025, Whole Foods Market released a new Seafood Code of Conduct it said reinforces its "commitment to safeguard the human rights and welfare of workers throughout its global seafood supply chain."
The code of conduct draws from global ethical principles including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Work in Fishing Convention and establishes standards that all seafood suppliers — from vessel owners to processors and distributors — are expected to follow.
Whole Foods Market also follows pollinator protection guidelines, including:
- All fresh produce and floral growers must implement an integrated pest management (IPM) system, which prioritizes preventative and biological pest control measures and reduces the need for chemical pesticides.
- Use of nitroguanidine neonicotinoids (clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam) is prohibited in all potted plants they sell.
- All fresh produce and floral suppliers are encouraged to phase out the use of nitroguanidine neonicotinoids.
[READ MORE: Whole Foods Market protecting pollinators in its supply chain]
Founded in 1980, Austin-based Whole Foods Market is the first certified organic national grocer in the U.S. Part of Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores, Whole Foods Market operates more than 530 stores across the U.S., Canada and the U.K.
