Whole Foods Market: Beyond The Board

Simu Liu – actor and chief content officer at MiLa Soup Dumplings – and co-founder Jen Liao join Whole Foods Market CEO Jason Buechel for a special live episode.

We cover:

• How Simu got involved and the story of his parents eating an entire shipment of nearly 100 dumplings
• How MiLa went from Ziploc bags on doorsteps to 1.7 million dumplings per day without losing the restaurant quality
• Why the top 5 Chinese food SKUs in grocery stores haven't changed in 25 years and how MiLa is changing that
• Best advice from Jen and Simu, whether you're starting something new or feeling stuck

Trend Spotlight: Freezer Fine Dining

Find MiLa Dumplings in the frozen aisle at Whole Foods Market and enjoy for National Dumpling Day on September 26.

Enjoyed this episode? Follow Beyond the Board for conversations with the founders, innovators, and thought leaders shaping how we eat – and the stories behind the brands you love.

At a Glance:

• 4:30 – Making a frozen dumpling that tastes like it came from a restaurant
• 7:15 – Simu's parents eat an entire shipment of nearly 100 dumplings claiming better than Din Tai Fung
• 17:30 – The top 5 Chinese food SKUs haven't changed in 25 years
• 23:00 – Best advice from Jen and Simu
• 27:30 – Simu's dream: a MiLa Super Bowl commercial
• 30:00 – Jen's dad gives feedback on her Dan Dan Noodle recipe to make it even better
• 31:20 – Why the brand is called MiLa: sweet and spicy, carve your own space
• 32:15 – Lightning round: favorite MiLa product, Marvel vs. Barbie, and more

Alysa Seeland, founder and CEO of FOND Regenerative, joins Whole Foods Market CEO Jason Buechel for a special episode filmed at Expo West.

We cover:

• How a health crisis at 23 and a bone broth diet led to selling out at a farmer's market on day one
• Fun ways to work nutrient-dense bone broth into everyday cooking (yes, even hot chocolate)
• The tallow trend and why Alysa wanted to launch it since 2019 (originally wanting to call it "flavored meat butter" ha!)
• FOND's regenerative sourcing journey – from 17 farmers to 581

Trend Spotlight: Tallow Takeover

Enjoyed this episode? Follow Beyond the Board for conversations with the founders, innovators, and thought leaders shaping the future of food – and the stories behind the brands you love.

Find FOND Regenerative bone broth and tallow on shelves at Whole Foods Market.

At a Glance:

• 2:30 – A health crisis at 23 and the bone broth diet that changed everything
• 5:00 – Selling out at the farmer's market on day one
• 9:00 – From 17 regenerative farmers to 581 with Whole Foods
• 14:00 – What "regenerative verified" actually means – and why it matters
• 21:00 – The journey to getting on Whole Foods shelves (and hearing "no" first)
• 25:00 – Surviving a warehouse fire and choosing to self-fund growth
• 40:00 – Fun ways to use bone broth, tallow, and duck fat at home

Becca Millstein, co-founder and CEO of Fishwife, joins Whole Foods Market CMMO Sonya Gafsi Oblisk on how she disrupted the tin fish aisle.

We cover:

• How tapas bars in Spain and a pandemic-era light bulb moment led to the fastest-growing premium tinned fish brand in America
• The story behind the name "Fishwife" and the iconic illustrated packaging
• Sardine girl summer, Kitchen Couture, and how Fishwife breathed new life into the category

Enjoyed this episode? Follow Beyond the Board for conversations with the founders, innovators, and thought leaders shaping the future of food – and the stories behind the brands you love.

At a Glance:

• 0:08 – What is Fishwife?
• 1:30 – From tapas bars in Spain to a pandemic light bulb moment
• 9:40 – The name "Fishwife" and reclaiming brash
• 11:10 – Building the brand with illustrator Danny Miller
• 14:30 – Sardine girl summer and the tin fish trend cycle
• 18:50 – Sourcing standards: building a supply chain with Whole Foods
• 27:00 – Innovation, collabs, and doing two brand partnerships a month
• 33:00 – The Whole Foods x Fishwife tote bags – designed in 24 hours
• 39:50 – Lightning Round

Jay Shetty – bestselling author, award-winning host of the On Purpose podcast, and co-founder of Juni adaptogenic sparkling tea – joins host Jason Buechel, Whole Foods Market CEO, for a special live episode.

Jay shares the unlikely path from stocking grocery shelves in London to living as a monk for three years – and why he believes the cure for burnout isn't slowing down, it's reconnecting with purpose. From a practical framework for staying grounded to the childhood memory of sharing tea with his mom that inspired Juni, this conversation unpacks what it means to build a brand rooted in presence and connection.

Enjoyed this episode? Follow Beyond the Board for conversations with the founders, innovators, and thought leaders shaping the future of food – and the stories behind the brands you love.

At a Glance:

• 1:20 – From grocery store shelves to monk life
• 5:09 – Three years as a monk: what Jay learned about the mind-body connection
• 8:00 – Ancient wisdom meets modern science
• 18:00 – The role of purpose at work (and the Yale study that proves it)
• 24:00 – TIME: A four-part framework for well-being
• 30:33 – How food became central to Jay's wellness journey
• 33:00 – The origin story of Juni: a mother-son tea tradition
• 35:41 – Building a brand with his wife (and being her guinea pig)
• 40:50 – Why Whole Foods Market was always the dream
• 45:51 – Lightning Round

Whole Foods Market CEO Jason Buechel sits with, David Chang, chef and founder of Momofuku Goods, who shares his hacks to making home cooking easy. We also discuss:

1. Despite being a successful chef, David's kids remain his toughest critics.
2. David's personal journey becoming a home chef in the pandemic helping to influence Momofuku Goods.
3. David's life as a young chef in New York.

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In this episode of Beyond the Board, host Sonya Gafsi Oblisk sits down with Rosa Li, founder of wildwonder, to explore how her grandmother's healing tonics — rooted in centuries of traditional Chinese herbal wisdom — inspired her to create one of the fastest-growing functional beverage brands in the country. Rosa shares the deeply personal story of growing up in her grandmother's kitchen in Beijing, where simmering herbs and handcrafted remedies were the answer to everything from digestive health to glowing skin, and how that heritage became the foundation for a brand that bridges two worlds: Eastern herbal wisdom and California's vibrant produce stand culture.

From launching at the height of COVID to landing on Whole Foods Market shelves and appearing on Shark Tank, Rosa opens up about the grit it took to build wildwonder from the ground up. She shares why she refuses to give up taste for health, how she's putting a modern twist on ancient wisdom with flavors like Raspberry Lychee and Pink Pomelo Limeade, and the emotional moment her dad started volunteering to stock wildwonder on Whole Foods shelves in Indiana, proudly telling store managers it was his daughter's product.

In this episode, we're sitting down with Laura Modi, co-founder, CEO, and mother of four, who left a career at Airbnb to revolutionize the infant formula industry with Bobbie. In this deeply personal conversation, Laura shares the late-night pharmacy run that changed everything, why she built a formula that meets European nutritional standards with domestically sourced organic ingredients, and what it means to finally see her "baby" on Whole Foods Market shelves.

From navigating the 2022 formula shortage to launching at Whole Foods Market, Laura's story is one of grit, gut instinct, and an unwavering commitment to feeding the next generation better. She opens up about the stigma surrounding formula feeding, pitching investors while pregnant and why motherhood and founding a company aren't all that different.

In this episode of Beyond the Board, host Sonya Gafsi Oblisk sits down with Kimono Mom founder Moe to explore her remarkable journey, from her early career as a geisha to becoming a global content creator, and how her passion for Japanese home cooking ultimately led to a product on Whole Foods Market shelves.

After experiencing postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter, Moe turned to YouTube as a way to share her story and reconnect with her love of cooking. Since then, she has built a community of more than 2 million followers across 190 countries and has traveled throughout the U.S., visiting over 100 Whole Foods Market stores and sharing her Umami sauce. This inspiring conversation on entrepreneurship and motherhood is one you won't want to miss.

At a glance:

1:03 – Art of Geisha

3:35 – The start of content creation

5:00 – Beginning of Kimono Mom Umami Sauce

6:09 – Cooking with umami sauce

7:02 – Discovering Whole Foods Market

9:15 – One road trip to 100 WFM stores

12:09 – Redefining success as a mother

13:00 – Lightning Round

In this episode of Beyond the Board, host Sonya Gafsi Oblisk sits down with Viraj Puri, co-founder and CEO of Gotham Greens, inside one of the company's original rooftop greenhouses — perched right on top of the Whole Foods Market store in Brooklyn. Surrounded by fresh basil and rows of leafy greens, Viraj shares how a fascination with the farm-to-table movement and a background in environmental engineering sparked this idea: leverage climate-controlled greenhouses to grow fresh produce year-round in the heart of New York City.

From a small demonstration-scale greenhouse in Brooklyn to 13 facilities across nine states and nearly 700 employees, Gotham Greens has redefined what it means to be a local grower on a national scale. Viraj opens up about the "three-legged stool" that built the business: brand storytelling, proven greenhouse technology, and a supply chain rooted in proximity to consumers, and how the relationship with Whole Foods Market helped fuel that growth. He also dives into the staggering environmental impact of their model, including saving 300 million gallons of water annually and producing 30 times more per acre than traditional farming, all while delivering pesticide-free greens to stores within 24 hours of harvest.

Whether you're in the food industry or simply someone who cares about where your salad comes from, this episode is a fresh take on innovation, sustainability, and the future of food.

At a glance:

1:20: Inspiration for Gotham Greens

2:35: The Business of Food

4:00: "Aha Moment" and Conscience Capitalism

6:00: Balancing Innovation and Quality

8:25: The relationship with Whole Foods Market

12:05: Year-long growing techniques

13:58: The importance of water efficiency

15:09: Addressing food insecurity

16:30: Lightning round

From starting his career developing the iPhone to revolutionizing home technology with Nest, Matt Rogers has always been driven by a mission to bring beautiful design and intelligence to everyday problems. In this episode of Beyond the Board, Mill co-founder Matt Rogers sits down with Whole Foods Market CEO Jason Buechel to discuss his latest venture: food waste. Inspired by his own observations during COVID and trained by Steve Jobs to see details in everyday life, Matt recognized that food waste, responsible for 10% of global emissions and $400 billion in wasted food annually, was a problem worth solving. Now, Mill is bringing the same design excellence and customer obsession he learned at Apple to create an easy-to-use, sleek solution that makes reducing food waste as simple as using a trash can.

This conversation explores how two mission-driven companies – Mill and Whole Foods Market – are working together to combat food waste. Matt shares insights on building missionary teams, the importance of starting with the hardest problem (the home), and the impact of bringing Mill Commercial into Whole Foods Market stores in 2027. From Apple's culture of customer obsession to Mill's vision of a world without waste, this episode reveals how great mission combined with great people creates transformative change.

At a glance:

1:11 – The impact of Steve Jobs and Apple

3:45 – Entrepreneurial spirit

6:30 – Being customer obsessed

8:15 – Inspiration behind Nest

12:34 – Early days of Mill

16:28 – Tackling the challenges of composting

19:07 – The importance and ease of design

20:58 – The mobile app

21:41 – Mill x Whole Foods Market 2027

25:00 – The future of food waste

30:00 – Secret Sauce of Mill

32:30 – Lightning round