Whole Foods Market

Yesterday was quite a day.  We had the Athens Farmers Market in the morning, the Athens Montessori School Fall Festival in the afternoon, and I had my initial business meeting with Whole Foods Market in the afternoon.  Lucky for me my family steps up to the plate on days like this – you know, “Mama said there’d be days like this……..”

Well, the second-to-last farmers market was steady and productive, the AMS festival was slow in sales but rich in music and family activity and Whole Foods was amazing!

I started out my journey to Atlanta by backing into a hidden utility trailer in my driveway as I navigated between parked cars!  Put a nice little hole in the bumper of my otherwise pristine 1998 Toyota Camry – the best car I’ve ever owned.  I decided not to get out and check the damage as it wouldn’t matter anyway and I didn’t want to be late AND upset before arriving at Whole Foods.  I took a wrong turn in Atlanta to get to WFM (no I don’t have a GPS) but still managed to arrive there on time.

As I was setting up my display to show the Whole Body Team, I realized that I was missing some key products and my armpits began to sweat…I had my laptop, Tarangela bag, all my products and I was sitting in the cafe area wondering how I could leave all this on the table to go check the car – hoping against hope that I really didn’t leave the most important tupperware container behind.  The cafe tables are directly in front of the cash registers.   At this point one of the buyers came and sat down with me – I simply asked him if he would give me a few minutes to check my car – which he was happy to do.  He told me later that while I was outside, he tried to open one of my containers to no avail.  This is a whole ‘nother story – I knew the container was faulty, I had a second one that was not – my supplier had sent me containers that had the lids manufactured by  a different company than the jars – but the product contained in the jar is so amazing that I wanted them to have an opportunity to try it – more on this later.

Went out to the car which was on the same side of the cafe with windows where the buyer was sitting….tried the key in the trunk – wouldn’t open.  Tried the key in the driver door – same thing.  Now, for the second time I began to feel panicked.  Was this meant to be?  Was I really gonna just ruin this whole opportunity?  I went over to the passenger door – sweet relief – it opened and I reached across the seats to pull the trunk lever, and yes, the additional display items were there.  They had fallen out of my French “Super U” bag when I rounded a corner too fast in my haste to make up for lost time when I took the wrong turn.  Can”t imagine what the buyer is thinking at this point – is this lady for real?

So here I am sitting in what feels to me like Grand Central Station pitching my products on a Saturday afternoon, the busiest shopping day at the store.  In no time at all, I became engrossed in our conversation and completely and totally unaware of anyone and anything around me.  You can’t imagine how uncharacteristic this is for me.  I have such a hard time focusing in a noisy chaotic environment!

Questions, more questions, queries, testing products, more questions, excitement, two and half hours later, we’re done and I’m headed back to Athens after a quick bite in the cafe.  Sweet relief.  It’s over, I’m tired, happy, I call the love of my life and calmly share the details of my afternoon.

Whole Foods Market will buy Verdae Products for their test store and see how it goes.  I will go to WFM probably every week to do demos for  a while to promote and get the products out front and center.  If sales are good we’ll talk about expanding to another store and go from there.

Back to the faulty jar story.  Contained in this jar is my all-time favorite product.  It is scented with wild-harvested hand distilled lavender essential oil from southern France.  I’ve been to the farm where it is distilled high in the mountains.  It’s as pure and potent a lavender as you’ll ever smell.  The man who picks the flowers and produces the essential oil is protective and adamant about it’s purity.  The buyers at Whole Foods commented that they don’t have ANY lavender scented products that smell like this lavender.  I explained the jar situation – they understood – and we determined that it should be in a recyclable tin for future sales.

I’m very excited for this opportunity and intend to do whatever it takes to make this work.  My family is wholly supportive, patient and kind for which I am extraordinarily grateful, as are the folks at Terrapin brewery.

Thanks for sharing the journey!