EMERYVILLE, Calif. – Whole Foods Market opens its new 50,000-square-foot Santa Clara store July 26 at 2732 Augustine Drive (corner of Scott & Bowers). Santa Clara Mayor Lisa M. Gillmor will join the company to host a bread-breaking ceremony for the store and ribbon cutting for Santa Clara Square Marketplace at 9:45 a.m. Doors open at 10 a.m.
For a first look at the store, members of the public can attend a Preview Party on July 23 from 5-7 p.m. The event includes cooking demos, food and product samples, games, raffle, and 3D chalk art photo booth. Tickets are $5; Whole Foods Market will donate all proceeds to Santa Clara Vanguard. RSVP at santaclarapreviewtour.eventbrite.com.
This is the first Whole Foods Market location in Santa Clara, and the 44th in Northern California. The store brings an estimated 225 new jobs to Santa Clara.
“Whole Foods brings an offering that marries well with the tastes and lifestyles of Santa Clara and Silicon Valley residents," said Dave Moore, president, Irvine Company Retail Properties, the developer of Santa Clara Square Marketplace. “We know the community will embrace the new store, especially features including an expanded prepared foods section, foods sourced from local vendors and even a Tap Room.”
“One of the best things about great food is gathering around it, and we want this store to become a community meeting place where our wonderful customers can meet their friends and make new ones,” said Eddie Ceballos, store team leader.
Highlights of the new store include:
TAP ROOM
Beer and Wine on tap – 16 taps feature local beers including brews from Camino Brewing Company, Santa Clara Brewing Company, and even Whole Foods Market’s own brewery in the San Jose Store. National favorites and wine on tap will be available as well.
Gathering space – There is indoor seating for about 60 guests, and outdoor seating (covered and/or heated as needed) for 40. Multiple TVs will show sports and news, and the food menu invites guests to stay for a snack or a full meal.
Signature Menu by Melissa King – Top Chef finalist Melissa King designed many of the items on the Tap Room menu, including the Seoul Burger with kimchi, arugula, and sesame-gochujang aioli; Tokyo Burger, with shiitake mushrooms, greens, caramelized onions, and yuzu miso aioli; Lemongrass Meatballs; Chicken Karaage; Goma ae-Spinach Sesame Salad; Enoki Bacon (Enoki mushrooms wrapped in bacon and finished with togarashi); and simple Zucchini Rounds.
PREPARED FOODS
Sushi, Ramen, and Bao station – Genji will offer not only sushi, but also ramen bowls (order off a menu or customize your own), and bao (savory steamed buns).
Burma Superstar’s Tea Leaf Salad – The Bay Area favorite is getting packaged up to grab and go under Burma Superstar’s “Burma Love” label. Get it while you can in the Prepared Foods section.
Self-serve pizza, cakes, and sweet petites – This new store will offer self-serve slices of pizza, including signature Whole Foods Market pies like the Forest Fungi and Alpine Pig, and classic selections like cheese and pepperoni (guests can still order a custom pie). Whole cakes will also be available to “grab and go,” though a Bakery Team Member can still write a custom message on the cake the customer selects. Finally, the store will now offer self-serve “sweet petites” – no more waiting in line to satisfy a sweet tooth.
Coffee and smoothie bar with Sambazon acai bowls – The store’s “breakfast bar” features coffee, tea, and espresso drinks from Allegro Coffee Company. Customers can order a smoothie off the menu or build their own. Sambazon acai bowls are poured at the bar and topped with healthy ingredients like bananas, coconut flakes, fresh berries, and almonds.
Digital ordering – To reduce time waiting in line for sandwiches, burritos, and other prepared foods, customers can order at a digital kiosk (iPad) and watch their order progress on the screen above. Customers will pick up their completed order when it is ready at the Prepared Foods window.
THE SPECIALTY DEPARTMENT
Chromatic Coffee & Camino Brewing Company Collaboration Brew – The star of this store’s beer set is 22-ounce bottles of Chromatic Coffee and Camino Brewing Company’s Café Con Leche coffee stout. Whole Foods Market Santa Clara will be the only place to snag bottles of the tasty collaboration brew through the fall. Guests can browse among a large curated selection of international, national, local, and micro brews, too.
1,000 wines – Whole Foods Market Santa Clara will have nearly 1,000 varietals of wine, including local bottles from Bonny Doon Vineyards, Ridge Vineyards and more.
Pickle Bar – Customers will recognize the antipasti and olive bar, but the Santa Clara store will have an expanded selection of pickles available to mix and match as well. This is a new feature for Northern California stores.
Cheese and Chocolate – A cheese tasting table will feature frequent samples and pairing suggestions, and on-site cheese experts can recommend cheese for any occasion. Specialty chocolates, nuts, jams and other novelties round out the department.
IN THE AISLES
Local product selection – Some of the local products customers will find on shelves include:
- Rabbit’s Foot Meadery (Santa Clara Valley)
- Frontier Bites (San Jose) – nutrient-dense snacks
- Uncie Ros’s (Santa Cruz) – New York-style wood-fired pizza
- Small Bees Honey (Los Gatos)
- Stueve Biodynamic and Organic Pasture-Raised Eggs (Oakdale)
- Camino Brewing Company (San Jose)
- Chromatic Coffee (Santa Clara)
- Bonny Doon Vineyards (Davenport)
- Ridge Vineyards (Cupertino)
More Vegan, Gluten Free, and Paleo options than ever before – The Produce section will house Whole Foods Market’s standard selection of top quality fruits and vegetables, as well as an expanded value added set with zucchini noodles, coleslaw mixes, stir fry veggie kits and ready-to-nosh platters. In the Bakery, Sugar Plum cookies are vegan, gluten free, and GMO free; they’re just one of the vegan and gluten free brands the store will sell. The Meat department will offer bacon cured without sugar, and in Prepared Foods customers will always find plenty of plant-strong items on the hot and salad bars.
Imperfect Produce – As part of Whole Foods Market’s ongoing commitment to reduce food waste, the company will feature its partnership with Imperfect Produce at the Santa Clara Store. Guests will find specially-packaged “ugly” fruits and veggies like potatoes and apricots on sale at great prices. Historically, small, misshapen, or otherwise cosmetically-flawed produce never makes it to market, but Bay Area startup Imperfect Produce and Whole Foods Market are helping it see its way to the shelf.
Meat and Seafood Market – Customers will find open market-style meat and seafood counters with lots of oven-ready options. On the seafood side, guests will find classic fillets and whole fish, stuffed seafood and house-smoked, salmon, trout and octopus. A shellfish wall will offer locally-sourced oysters, as well as crab, lobster tails (Whole Foods Market does not carry whole lobsters), mussels, and clams. Also: there will be salmon bacon, which the fishmongers make by slicing salmon bellies into strips and smoking them in “bacon-esque” flavors.
On the meat side, house-made sausages and cowboy burgers will be ready for the grill. Smoked pork, turkey, and brisket are quick and tasty options to take to any barbecue. Customers can also find dry-aged beef and ground meats made in house for ultimate freshness.
Whole Body natural makeup and body care – Tiger Nuts are the nutrient-dense superfoods are taking the fitness world by storm, and customers can find a new Tiger Nut Smoothie Mix in the Whole Body department. There will also be an expanded lifestyles section with aromatherapy infusers, yoga gear, organic and responsible clothing lines, and plenty of candles and books. This complements the store’s regular selection of natural makeup and body care lines like Andalou Naturals, Juice Beauty, Dr. Hauschka, Mineral Fusion, and Pacifica.
QUALITY STANDARDS
Industry-leading quality standards throughout the store:
- No artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives
- No high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils
- In Produce, “Responsibly Grown” indicates the grower uses farming practices that support human health, farm worker welfare, and the environment.
- In the Meat department, Global Animal Partnership’s Step Rating shows how the animals were raised for the meat customers are buying. All the beef, pork, chicken, and turkey carried in the fresh and pre-packaged cases at all Whole Foods Market stores in the U.S. comes from farms that are rated according the program. And all of the meat sold throughout the store comes from animals raised without antibiotics or added growth hormones.*
- In Seafood, all wild-caught selections come from fisheries certified by the Marine Stewardship Council or is rated green or yellow by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program. Farm-raised seafood is sold under the “Responsibly Farmed” logo, which ensures farm operations have minimal impact on the ecosystem and do not use additives or antibiotics in feed.
- In the Whole Body department, Premium Body Care indicates the item has met the company’s strictest standards for quality sourcing, environmental impact, results, and safety. There are more than 400 ingredients prohibited in the Premium Body Care standards; among them are parabens, triclosan, sodium laurel and laureth sulfates, and polypropylene.
COMMUNITY GIVING
Whole Foods Market Santa Clara will support local charities. The store’s first Nickels for Nonprofits recipient is JW House, which provides a comfortable “home away from home” for families facing medical crises. The store’s first 5% Day will support the Santa Clara Library Foundation.
DELIVERY SERVICE
The Bay Area-based retail delivery service Instacart will have shoppers dedicated to Whole Foods Market Santa Clara so local shoppers can have their groceries delivered extra quick. Order online at delivery.wholefoodsmarket.com.
BUILDING DESIGN
Green refrigeration system – The store features a new-to-the-industry refrigeration system that combines CO2 (a natural refrigerant that carries the lowest environmental impact of any refrigerant) with propane for an extra-efficient cooling system. This design also recaptures heat generated by its operation; the heat is then stored overnight to provide hot water for the store the next day.
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations – High-efficiency NRG eVgo fast charging stations and standard charging stations available.
Design and Architecture – Whole Foods Market worked with Thread Collaborative to evoke a Modern Mission theme for the store. Influenced by Latin culture, the design incorporates painted terra cotta tile, iron gates, and colorful textiles. Customers will see plenty of materials, geometric shapes, and colorful graphics taken from regional history and architecture.
Source: Whole Foods Market
