Between running billion-dollar businesses and managing hundreds of employees, most chief executives don’t have time for grocery shopping.
But Whole Foods Market CEO Jason Buechel opts to shop 14 times a week.
“I pretty much am in the grocery store at least twice a day, every single day,” Buechel said in a recent interview with Fortune. The Austin, Texas-based company leader said he visits the 80,000-square-foot flagship store around lunchtime and returns after work to buy fresh ingredients for dinner. The self-proclaimed “foodie” browses the cheeses and checks out the salad bar, often drafting “detailed” shopping lists on an Excel sheet to plan for a specific recipe.
COURTESY OF WHOLE FOODS
“I happen to work above one of the best places to eat in Austin,” said Buechel, who became CEO in 2022. He took over the role from iconic founder John Mackey, who held it for 42 years before Buechel stepped in after a nearly year-long transition period. Amazon purchased the organic grocery chain for $13.7 billion in 2017.
The 46-year-old gave Fortune an exclusive glimpse into his daily routine, consisting of a “minimum of 10 meetings per day,” six-mile runs, and twice-daily trips to Whole Foods Market.
Between meetings, Buechel noshes on creations from Whole Foods Market’s salad bar and loves to experiment with new recipes from products he picks up around the store.
“I can’t host a party without asking our cheesemongers for their recommendations on putting together an impressive cheese and charcuterie board,” he said. Buechel has a deep affinity for fromage and fresh vegetables. He started gardening at age seven, and both his parents grew up on dairy farms. His father was a cheese maker, Buechel told Harvard Business Review.
But frequenting Whole Foods Market stores is more than just about sustenance and availing himself of the 20% staff discount for Buechel. He credits it as the key to his business success.
Regular visits to Whole Foods Market stores around the country allow him to connect with the grocer’s team members, learn from their experiences, and gather real-time feedback from customers. Buechel says his shopping strategy helps him understand the business and “grow as a leader”—evident in his recent decision to slash prices to appease inflation-weary shoppers.
But immersive grocery trips aren’t the only thing that helps Buechel make smart business moves.
Similar to former Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan, who spent six months as a barista to “immerse” himself in the business, Buechel spends his time working in the stores to understand what’s working at Whole Foods—especially during the busy holiday season.
“Whether I’m helping restock produce to bagging groceries, to helping support the pickup of holiday meals, it’s always fun to connect with our customers and our team members, and help and work with them,” Buechel said.
The CEO also told Fortune he trained under a Whole Foods Market butcher to learn how to cut the perfect aged-ribeye steak and tenderloin, and recently graduated from the grocer’s bakery decorator program to understand the basics of icing cakes.
“It’s so important for all of us as leaders.”