EARTH University Bananas and Pineapples Arrive in Whole Foods Market® Stores in the Southeast 
University, Backed by Atlanta-based Foundation, Focuses on Sustainable Development and Humane Production 

ATLANTA (July 31, 2007) – EARTH University bananas and pineapples recently arrived in the Southeast at Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFMI), the world’s largest natural and organic foods supermarket. Sale of the Costa Rican bananas and pineapples support scholarships for students attending EARTH, the agribusiness university in northeastern Costa Rica. 

   Bananas and pineapples from EARTH are available exclusively in Whole Foods Market as part of a partnership with EARTH to support education, entrepreneurship, and sustainable agriculture in the developing world. Already on store shelves in the North Atlantic, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Southwest regions, they are now available in Atlanta and the Southeast. Whole Foods has seven locations in the Metro-Atlanta area. 

   In Spanish EARTH stands for Escuela de Agricultura de la Región de Tropical Húmeda.

   Founded in 1990 on an 8,200-acre former banana plantation, the university has developed a high-quality, low-impact and socially responsible banana farm, which has become a model for the banana industry worldwide. 

   The university is also planting two 5 acre plots of organic pineapple on its campuses in both the dry and humid tropics of Costa Rica. EARTH pineapples are currently sourced by the university for Whole Foods Market from a network of small and medium pineapple growers who are working with EARTH to advance education, entrepreneurship, and sustainable agriculture in the tropics.

   EARTH’s profits from pineapple sales not only contribute to student scholarships but also finance research and investment in organic and sustainable pineapple production.

   The sustainable banana and pineapple production at EARTH represents a unique balance between economic and social methods at each stage of the cultivation and packing process, including: eliminating herbicides, maintaining fair treatment and protection of banana and pineapple plantation workers and planting native trees along rivers to reduce erosion and encourage biodiversity. 

   “EARTH University is committed to preparing leaders with ethical values to contribute to the sustainable development of the humid tropics,” explains EARTH University President José Zaglul. “Our innovative banana and pineapple farming process demonstrates that commitment in a real and tangible manner. We are grateful to Whole Foods for being an invaluable advocate in delivering that message – and final product – to its patrons.”

   Whole Foods Market recently announced EARTH’s bananas and pineapples will also be sold as part of its Whole Trade Guarantee program. The program imposes a strict set of criteria on products from developing countries to ensure: exceptional quality, more money for producers, better wages and working conditions for workers, sound environmental practices that promote biodiversity, and support of poverty eradication via donating one percent of product sales to the Whole Planet Foundation™.

   “EARTH University has taken a leadership role in the banana and pineapple industry through its environmentally friendly production methods,” says John Walker, Southeast regional produce coordinator for Whole Foods Market. “With exceptional taste combined with the university’s mission and curriculm mirrors Whole Foods Market’s commitment to demonstrating workable ecological solutions for the world, which is one reason why EARTH bananas and pineapples fit so well into our new Whole Trade Guarantee.”

   EARTH University’s educational model is based on four pillars: human values, entrepreneurial spirit, social and environmental awareness and technical and scientific knowledge. In addition to sustainable banana production, EARTH University’s recent research projects include: watershed management planning, water quality monitoring, carbon sequestration potential of agricultural and forestry land in Costa Rica’s humid tropics and the NASA-ChagaSpace Project, among other endeavors.