Welcome to the 2014 edition of the WholeFoods Who’s Who of Manufacturers and Suppliers, the only reference tool of its kind in the natural products industry. In these pages, you will find listings of hundreds of companies and thousands of individuals who work for these companies.

We also have a great tool available: a completely searchable digital version of this directory, available at www.NaturalProductFinder.com.

Here’s how to use the print version of the WholeFoods Who’s Who of Manufacturers and Suppliers:
• If you are a retailer, use the directory of manufacturers (beginning on Page 52) to find companies that make and/or market branded, finished products for eventual sale by stores. These products are the bread-and-butter of almost every retailer’s business, and this issue includes important information about the companies that offer them. You will find names, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, toll-free numbers, key personnel, e-mail addresses and Web sites.

• If you are a finished product manufacturer, you’ll probably want to spend most of your time in the Suppliers Section beginning on Page 38. We identify suppliers as companies that offer raw materials, product ingredients (both branded and generic), contract manufacturing and private label services, production and packaging equipment and materials, and the like. Their defining characteristic is that they are selling to finished products manufacturers, not directly to shoppers. Suppliers sell to manufacturers, who may sell to wholesalers, who then sell to retailers, who ultimately sell to consumers.

Retailers also may want to peruse the Suppliers Section, particularly if they are interested in mounting or expanding their private label offerings.

• All readers want to consult the extensive alphabetical listing of key personnel that begins on Page 79. The people listed here, along with their job titles and company affiliations, are among the elite of the natural products industry—owners, executives, managers and department heads. If you can’t remember where a specific he or she works, this section of the Who’s Who may answer your need.

Remember, you can access this directory digitally through SourceBook Online (www.NaturalProductFinder.com). You can find products and companies with your own search terms or by product categories. This site is frequently updated, so be sure to bookmark it for easy reference throughout the year.

The SourceBook Online can be used on a smart phone, tablet or desktop to help you find everything in this issue plus more. Expanded listings and microsites are filled with:
• product images
• company profiles
• videos
• white papers
• sales sheets and more.

Industry companies can update or add information easily at www.NaturalProductFinder.com.  For a tutorial, visit www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/sourcebook-tutorial. Contact us (kaylynnebner@wfcinc.com) with any questions.

We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished in this Who’s Who directory, both in print and online. We’re certain that as you use it, it will become a valued resource.

Kaylynn Chiarello-Ebner
Editor/Associate Publisher

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, November 2014