There's perhaps no deal more representative of the changes taking place in the food system, and the meeting of technology and food, than Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods in 2017.
Walter Robb, the former co-CEO of Whole Foods, was a key player through the transaction and for many years at Whole Foods before it.
A proponent of whole and natural foods, Walter is increasingly exposed to new food technologies through his work as executive-in-residence at agrifood tech investment firm S2G Ventures, TPG's the Rise Fund, and managing his own consultancy and personal portfolio through Stonewall Robb Advisors.
In this second edition of Future Food, I chat to Walter about his food preferences, his contrarian views of the plant-based meat trend, the role of big data in food, and how the Amazon deal came about -- did you know Whole Foods was looking for a digital partner?
We also talk about his vision for the future of food and hopes of providing fresh food to underserved communities.
As an incredibly experienced food retailer with extensive knowledge and opinions on eating well, Robb's take on the future of food and the development of new technologies is unique. It's also essential listening for consumers thinking about new food tech trends, corporates wondering how to approach new innovation -- he offers some specific advice here -- and grocery-focused startups