Submitted by: Whole Foods Market
As Valentine’s Day quickly approaches, roses make their big appearance. Did you know you could give roses to a loved one and give back to farmworkers? At Whole Foods Market, this is what happens when shoppers choose Whole Trade® flowers. Whole Trade® growers work with Rainforest Alliance, Fair Trade USA and other third-party organizations to verify that farms meet occupational health and safety requirements, provide legal minimum wage and respect human rights. They also monitor farms to make sure they meet clear criteria for environmental responsibility — including restricting pesticide use.
Whole Foods Market takes it one step further to strengthen and empower farmworker communities by paying a “community development premium” for each case of Whole Trade® flowers. These funds flow to farmworker committees who identify local needs and allocate funds to community projects such as health clinics, scholarships, schools and housing.
Lucia, a rose farmworker from Ecuador, shares her experience with Whole Trade:
“I used to spend my free time doing laundry for my family in the rivers with very cold water. I had very little free time. Now thanks to the washers and dryers project from the sales of Whole Trade Roses, I can bring my laundry to work during working hours and take care of washing and drying my clothes for me and my family.”
Regardless if you purchase a single rose, or our best value, the double dozen, you bring beauty to your own community as well as your global community. In the Victorian era flowers were used to express feelings that otherwise could not be spoken. Today flower colors continue to be coupled with specific emotions and wishes. This Valentine’s Day, let the color of the roses you choose mimic your feelings, including:
- Red—true love, passion and respect
- Dark Red—beauty, perfection and adoration
- Pink—romance and admiration
- Deep Pink—appreciation, gratitude and sincerity
- Light Pink—sweetness and gentleness
- Orange—desire, passion and excitement
- White—spiritual love, purity and new beginnings
- Yellow—warmth, joy and friendship
- Lavendar—love at first sight
Whole Foods Market in Bellingham is located at the corner of Lakeway and Lincoln. The store is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sales, coupons, events and more are available at wfm.com/bellinghamlakeway.
Written by Olivia Yates, Marketing and Community Relations Liaison
