Whole Foods Market Is Founded

Setting the scene

Austin's natural-foods co-op scene grew after 1970s back-to-the-land movements; John Mackey and Renee Lawson Hardy opened a small vegetarian store called SaferWay before merging with Clarksville Natural Grocery to form Whole Foods Market.

What happened

Whole Foods was founded in 1980 on September 20 in Austin with a staff of nineteen and a mission to sell organic produce without artificial preservatives to educated urban shoppers.

Why it still matters

Amazon acquired it in 2017 for $13.7 billion, integrating Prime delivery and lowering some prices; Whole Foods still symbolizes the premium organic aisle that mainstreamed 'whole grain' vocabulary even as competitors copied its layout.

Background

Amazon acquired it in 2017.