Meet the Woman Who Tastes and Selects Your Local Whole Foods Favorites

Elly Truesdell graduated from college like most young adults, unsure about what exactly she wanted to do for work. She followed her interest in food to farms and restaurants, and, ultimately, landed a job at Whole Foods Market, where she worked her way up to "local forager" for the chain's northeast region. More than just taste testing, Truesdell works with local farmers, restaurants, and producers to bring their products to market, building relationships and walking them through the process of supplying their goods to a national retailer. She assists her local producers with everything from packaging and labeling suggestions to connecting them with better suppliers to improve the quality of their products.