Top Women In Store Brands 2024: Rachel Bukowski, Whole Foods Market
For more than a decade, Store Brands and Women Impacting Storebrand Excellence (WISE) have teamed to honor women across the private label industry who have had and continue to have a major impact in the store brand segment.
From supply chain to sales, marketing, finance, and more, members of the Class of 2024 each play a vital role in moving store brands forward amid new and ongoing challenges that include rising prices, capacity issues with manufacturers, and evolving demand from consumers.
Meet this year's Top Women In Store Brands honorees.
Rachel Bukowski
Whole Foods Market
Innovation Award
During her eight years at Whole Foods, Rachel Bukowski has held several positions on the grocer’s product development team. But it’s the success in her current role as director of Research and Development that has earned her the 2024 Top Women In Store Brands Innovation Award.
“I am humbled and honored to be selected,” she said. “I also know that this formal recognition would not be possible without the drive and passion of the team behind all the incredible innovation seen in the products we launch. Suffice it to say that I am beyond thrilled to be named a 2024 Top Women in Store Brands honoree – but it takes a village, and there is a talented team behind the final outputs.”
In leading the grocer’s Exclusive Brands Research and Development team, which oversees product development, packaging engineering, and sensory testing, Bukowski has been responsible for driving the strategic direction of her team. Her leadership has cultivated an environment of innovation, contributing significantly to the success and growth of Whole Foods Market’s private-label offerings.
One of Bukowski’s key accomplishments over the past year was spearheading the 7th Annual Macro Trends report and Macro Trends Showcase. This event drew hundreds of Whole Foods Market and Amazon team members into the innovation process, showcasing Bukowski’s ability to foster collaboration and thought leadership within the company. Her team’s work on this report helped establish Whole Foods Market’s store brands as trendsetters in the retail industry.
But colleagues say Bukowski’s impact goes beyond innovation. She led a data-driven approach to ensure existing products meet customer expectations through Whole Foods’ sensory and product quality teams. This effort elevated product quality and resulted in numerous successful new launches, including a marinated meat program that saw double-digit growth in both sales and units.
Sustainability is another area where Bukowski has made a significant impact. She spearheaded initiatives aimed at reducing carbon footprints, ending deforestation, sourcing sustainable palm oil, and minimizing packaging waste. These efforts ensure Whole Foods Market remains at the forefront of sustainable practices, further enhancing the brand’s reputation in the organic and natural foods sector.
She has also been instrumental in redefining brand and ingredient guardrails and worked closely with the grocer’s communications team to promote store brands through various media channels. Bukowski has appeared on multiple television programs and was a key speaker at an all-hands company meeting, where she highlighted the success of the store brand products.
“I have been blessed to be a part of our Research and Development Team at Whole Foods Market for the past eight years,” she said. “I cannot say enough about this talented, creative, and thoughtful group of individuals – they are the secret sauce to our team’s growth, success, and impact that we have been able to have at Whole Foods Exclusive Brands, and in the greater private brands world over the past several years.”
