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Hi. I sell to over 60 WFMs in the SoPac region and Midwest Region. We just found out we were accepted to the NorCal region and waiting to hear back about 3 other regions.

Very awesome that they found you and want to meet with you. This what happened to me in the Midwest region. You just overcame the very first hurdle without doing anything. The buyer has already tried your product, most likely and wants it on their shelf. I take it, it was a WFM local to you. You will be able to participate in their local vendor program which is awesome.

Lots of great advice in this thread. I am going to offer some additional about what you need to have to be accepted, what to expect as a local vendor and how to expand into more Whole Foods.

Your product needs to have a UPC, product insurance, and compliant labeling. You will need to provide proof of auto-insurance too. You will be asked to put all of this into your application. I am in body care so I cannot expound too much further about anything additional that food might require. Food license is a given. Ask for a copy of the application at your meeting and talk requirements. If you PM me I can send you a copy of a local vendor app. Each region's is different but it will give you a good idea what to expect. Also if you have UPC questions, see my comment history.

The app process is long and the initial buyer that brings you into Whole Foods has to fill out a ton of paperwork as well. Make sure you understand all the instructions and be prepared to wait. We started in Oct and finally were on store shelves in late Feb for our local region. So don't freak out because they will not be expecting an order for at least 3 months from the time you turn in your application, which you cannot do until you meet all the requirements. So you got time and the local vendor program will accept new products at any time.

Whole Foods buyers are very nice and if they are inviting you into a meeting they will be vey accommodating and understanding. So use this time to ask questions. Don't be shy and afraid that they will reject you if something isn't compliant yet. They want you and this meeting is talk about how to get your product ready for their store shelf. They are aware your product might not be ready for the store shelf so openly discuss all the various requirements and how you currently meet or do not meet them. If you have a solution in place, great let them know. If you do not, ask them if they have any advice. They will be glad to help you.

Once you are accepted to the local vendor program here are some things to expect and how you can build a great relationship with them. Be prepared to comp part of their first order. It is called a free-fill. Under the local vendor program it is completely optional but it helps get into new stores and builds good will. Expect to comp 6 items of each sku.

Always say yes to the buyer. If they ask you to participate in events, say yes and be prepared to give away samples. Schedule demos and sample your items. Buyers love companies that actively support their product in-store. Make sure the entire department team has tried your product. They will be likely to recommend it to their guests if they enjoy your product. Educate everyone on the bullet points of your product as they will draw on that information when helping their guests. Spend money on supporting your product as it will increase your sales and build goodwill.

When you demo. Be on time. Sounds simple but every event there are late vendors. Have your own demo table. Again sounds simple but so many do not have one and the buyer has to spend time accommodating you. For your demo table, I can highly recommend the GoPong ( http://www.amazon.com/GoPong-Portable-Includes-Skirts-Carrying/dp/B005DD6ZIU ). I tested one and then kitted out my demo team with them. Other vendors always ask where we got it. Make sure you ask where it is ok to park. At one of our stores, we are not allowed to park in the parking lot. Be sure to demo/sample only your products that are sold in their store. Do not bring a different variety of the same product either. Sounds simple but people have lost shelf space for doing that (at least that is what one buyer told me).

You will be placed in a set number of stores to start. It might just be one or a few more. They will not let you expand to other ones for a period of time. Use this time to learn the way that WF does things. However, do ask your local Forager when you will be able to approach other stores. The regional office needs to approve it and then each store needs to get permission from regional to start buying your product. I asked as soon as I was accepted and they said wait 30 days and ask again.

When dropping off your product, make sure your know the hours that they receive incoming goods. Each store is different. Have two copies of your invoice. You invoices will be net 30. WFM issues payments via ETF on day 27-29 without fail. I love them for this.

You will be confined to your city and nearby cities in your local when they allow you to expand from your initial set of stores. Ask the buyer that you have the best relationship with to recommend another location that they think will be a good fit for your product. Buyers talk, buyers visit other stores to look for new products and buyers attend other store events. Each store has their own buyers and you must convince them to bring you into their store. The buyer that brought us into our first Whole Foods talked us up to a few other buyers and give us their contact info. Ask permission to use them as a reference when contacting other buyers. Chances are the buyer will already be aware of you and your reputation. This is why you always say yes and be accommodating.

After the first expansion wave, you can get permission to contact stores in other states that are part of your region. Once you are able to, you can simply call those stores and ask to speak to a buyer in order to get the ball rolling. Be sure to straight away state that you are already a WF local vendor and want to get them samples to test. This is how we expanded in the Midwest. We went from 1 to 25+ stores in 9 months.

Once you have dominated your local region, it is time to start thinking about getting your product into other regions. Each region reviews a product category once per year. They either have their own submission calendar or follow the Global one. You can search google for that. You will be able to see when your product category is reviewed so that you can make a very informed decision about expanding to more stores. Applying to other regions is much different than applying to the local region and requires its own essay. We actually applied to the SoPac before our local region which is a whole different story.

If you have any questions, I will be more than glad to answer them. As my buddy Jonny says, "Keep Building".