Whole Foods opens LEAP program to bring in local brands

Whole Foods Market opened applications on June 2 for its 2026 Local and Emerging Accelerator Program, keeping a supplier pipeline in motion that can change what shows up on store shelves, endcaps and tasting tables. LEAP, short for Local and Emerging Accelerator Program, is built to help smaller brands and local suppliers get into the Whole Foods ecosystem.

The timing matters for store teams because LEAP is not just a supplier program in Austin. It feeds the assortment that shoppers see in each market, which means buyers and merchandisers are looking for products that can do more than fill space. They need items with a local story, a clear point of difference and enough operational consistency for departments to stock, explain and sell them well.

That can affect the work of team members on the floor almost immediately. New brands can mean more product knowledge training, more attention to display discipline and more questions from customers about why a certain item earned space in the store. For store team leaders and associate store team leaders, it can also mean coordinating with merchandising and operations when regional resets or tasting events bring in products that are meant to reinforce a specific market identity.

Whole Foods said the accelerator launched in 2022. At launch, the company said the program included mentorship with Whole Foods Market experts, tailored educational opportunities and potential direct financial support. The current application window moved quickly, with one industry listing saying applications were open from June 1 through July 6, 2026. Whole Foods Market said the application process opened on Tuesday, June 2.

The company has used LEAP to keep widening its local and emerging-brand pipeline. Whole Foods opened applications for the 2025 program on Jan. 16, 2025, and Progressive Grocer reported that the company chose 10 brands for that accelerator cohort. The same reporting said applications for that year were up 60%. Other coverage of the 2025 program said 10 emerging brands were also named to an On The Verge cohort, part of the retailer’s effort to support brands it sees as ready to keep growing.

For Whole Foods employees, that makes LEAP a window into how the chain competes. The program shows which kinds of products the company is betting on for 2026: local, differentiated and story-driven brands that can help stores stand out in crowded grocery markets. For the people stocking the shelves and answering questions at the register or service counter, those choices shape the customer experience as much as pricing or promotions do.