#222 - Buyer Spotlight: Pastas, Pasta Sauces, Oils, and Vinegars, with Brooke Gil of Whole Foods Market
The Startup CPG Podcast
Startup CPG
4.9 • 642 Ratings
🗓️ 11 November 2025
⏱️ 46 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Turn every BFCM QR code scan into sales—get the free report now: www.uniqode.com/bfcmcpg
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, Daniel Scharff sits down with Brooke Gil, Category Merchant for Pastas, Pasta Sauces, Oils, and Vinegars at Whole Foods Market. Brooke shares her career journey from fashion retail to leading some of the most dynamic grocery categories in the natural products space.
Together, they discuss the latest industry trends — including the growing popularity of extra virgin olive oil, the rise of functional vinegars, the “tallow takeover,” and the emerging concept of “kitchen couture.” Brooke also provides valuable insight into what makes a successful brand partnership with Whole Foods, how she evaluates product performance, and why packaging clarity and brand storytelling are essential for shelf success.
You will gain a deeper understanding of how Whole Foods approaches category management, brand collaboration, and evolving consumer preferences — offering practical takeaways for both emerging and established CPG brands.
Listen now to learn from one of Whole Foods Market’s category leaders and discover how to position your brand for long-term growth.
Listen in as they share about:
- Brooke Gil’s Background and Role
- Travel and Global Culinary Influences
- Category-by-Category Trends
- Oils
- Pastas
- Vinegars
- Pasta Sauces - “Kitchen Couture” & “Tallow Takeover” Trend
- Packaging and Branding Insights
- Brand Partnership and Performance Expectations
- Inventory and Supply Chain Management
- Whole Foods Quality and Ingredient Standards
- Merchandising, Analytics, and Promo Strategy
- Support for Local and Regional Brands
Episode Links:
Website: https://media.wholefoodsmarket.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-gil-88125895/
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
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- Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.com
- Episode music by Super Fantastics
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | My friends, the QR code revolution is coming. Are you still printing QR codes just to hope |
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| 0:18.4 | branded digital experiences. Whether it's on packaging, in-store signage, trade shows, or product demos, Unicode lets you design custom QR campaigns, change destinations in real time, and track every scan. |
| 0:30.6 | We're talking branded QR codes that boosts scan rates by 30%. |
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| 0:56.9 | Don't just place a QR code, make it work. |
| 0:59.4 | Scan the code on screen or visit us at Unicode.com slash QRCPG. |
| 1:04.3 | That links to the show notes. |
| 1:05.6 | It's UNIQO-D-com slash QR.CG. |
| 1:30.4 | You need to be able to tell your story and tell your customer what your product is at a glance. |
| 1:33.7 | You really only have a customer's attention at a glance. |
| 1:36.4 | And it's the same thing in fashion retail. |
| 1:40.9 | You need to look at like a table of clothing and know what that outfit looks like at a glance. |
| 1:42.0 | So it's the same thing. We have a split second to entice someone, |
| 1:45.9 | and then maybe they pick up the and read the back. And then you have their attention for like |
| 1:50.7 | whatever you have on the bat. Welcome everyone to the startup CPG podcast. Today's episode |
| 1:56.9 | comes with some extra special sauce because we've got Brooke Gill from Whole Foods Market, and she covers pastas, pasta sauces, oils, vinegars. |
... |
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