Whole Foods Educates Through Private Brand

Whole Foods Market has launched an at-home virtual curriculum called Home Ec 365, leveraging its revamped 365 by Whole Foods Market own brands to help educate shoppers on how to live an economical, efficient life in the kitchen and beyond.

In early January, Progressive Grocer sister publication Store Brands spotted a refresh underway for the 365 Everyday brand that later became a widespread change in the grocer’s stores -- essentially a merging of the Whole Foods Market brand with the 365 Everyday brand to become 365 by Whole Foods Market.

The clean, modernized packages are being celebrated in the new digital program that started Aug. 8; consumers can enroll online for the free Home Ec 365 courses, powered by Teachable. Classes are limited to 2,500 consumers per session, and attendees are given a coupon for select 365 brand items at each session. 

The classes are taught by lifestyle experts and influencers, a unique strategy to help promote the revised store brand as a tool for better living. Whole Foods listed the first set of classes as: 

• Swap-Savvy Baking: Getting Creative with Recipes & Replacements: In this course led by Joy Wilson, aka Joy The Baker (@joythebaker), attendees will learn what to do and how to adapt if they run out of butter or eggs, or just want to switch things up with a new type of flour, to create such baked goods as cornbread, pancakes and muffins.
• So Fresh & So Clean: How to Effectively Clean Your Appliances: What happens when the machines the consumers trust to clean get dirty? This course, led by clean queen, organization enthusiast and mom vlogger Jessica Tull (@jessica_tull), will help attendees streamline their deep clean and allow them to get the best results from hardworking appliances like the fridge and dishwasher, all with the help of cleaning products that meet Whole Foods Market’s strict quality standards;
• Use 'Em Up! How to Transform Food Scraps & Leftovers: This class will change the way consumers look at food scraps. Led by chef and well-being advocate Sophia Roe (@sophia_roe), attendees will learn how to reinvent recipes and make magic with leftover ingredients, overlooked produce parts and even that almost-empty jar of mustard hiding on the bottom shelf of the fridge; and
• Smarter Shopping: Save, Stock & Invest: The right ingredients go a long way in the kitchen. Knowing when to spend a little extra and which staples to save on is an art attendees will soon master with the help of Bobby Parrish (@flavcity), a.k.a. “the grocery store guy.” Attendees will also learn how to organize their fridge and pantry, as well as get tips on to transform at-home dinners from sad to five-star with easy investment ingredients.

Whole Foods is billing its newly designed 365 by Whole Foods Market brand as a store brand that touches every category, a true lifestyle store brand for the Austin,Texas-based retailer.

Owned by Seattle-based Amazon, Whole Foods is No. 24 on the list is No. 2 on The PG 100,PG's 2020 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. Amazon is No. 2 on the list.