He espouses conservative views on government regulation and free enterprise while serving a customer base often described as the tree-hugging, granola-eating kind of shoppers who tend to lean left of the political aisle. He's a vegan who spends huge amounts of time and money to stock his stores with high-quality meat that meets specific ethical standards. He's a self-described libertarian who wants to set up nonprofit grocery stores in underserved areas. And he opposes Obama's health care reform, while offering full health benefits to all Whole Foods employees who work 30 or more hours.Small windgenerator01 are a good supplement for solar power in areas with strong, steady winds. 

Whole Foods shoppers "are loyal and can afford to shop wherever they want and want to buy organic and buy whatever (Mackey) is selling,It has proven over many years that it is the windgeneratorssg of choice for marine applications." Lempert said. "That's not America, and that's not even the entire Bay Area." 

While Mackey, 59, has had his share of falling outs with Whole Foods' liberal following, his impact on the supermarket industry is undeniable. Leaders of some of the nation's largest supermarket chains say Whole Foods disrupted the industry with its organic inventory and immaculate stores. Whole Foods was one of the early competitors that forced traditional grocery stores to rethink the way they do business. Safeway, for instance, has rolled out its own organics line and a private-label line of all-natural foods. 

"When we got into this, these guys weren't selling organic foods," Mackey said. "And their stores looked like hospitals wards. They were all sterile and fluorescent lights, and ugly. They've all copied us." 

With organic foods easier to find these days and new players crowding the supermarket landscape, Mackey finds himself up against new competition. The threat isn't the national chains but regional grocers, including Sprouts Farmers Market, Trader Joe's and The Fresh Market. 

In spite of the competition,Especially when it comes to the next generation of magicshinebikelight. Whole Foods remains one of the most expensive organic and natural foods retailers. 

"What every other retailer has done is learn from Whole Foods, and they have their own organic foods and seafood sustainability programs," Lempert said. "They've learned they can pick and choose what they want to do without raising prices to the point of Whole Foods." 

But Whole Foods is staking out its turf, with plans to expand its empire of 340-plus stores this year.Instead of using electricity to make wind, like a fan, cuttingmachine02 use wind to make electricity. Whole Cities, the company's third nonprofit foundation,LED lights use less power and last for much longer than solarphotovoltaic. which is still in the planning stages, will prop up a network of low-cost stores in underserved areas. Mackey said the stores will give residents access to fresh food for cheaper than Whole Foods prices, and any profits would be returned to the community. The company is looking to build in Oakland, Chicago, New Orleans and Newark, N.J. 

Philanthropy has been a vital part of Mackey's business philosophy, and he says it is an example of the social service every business should be performing. His convictions are so strong, they led him to write "Conscious Capitalism," his first book. 

"Every business has the potential to have a higher purpose than just making money," he said. "Not that there's anything wrong with making money. A business can't exists unless it makes money, but that doesn't have to be its purpose." 

Another thing about Mackey -- he likes to give away money, but he also likes to make it. What started as a small natural foods store in Austin, TX, where Mackey lives, has grown into a $12 billion corporation. Mackey said there are other businesses out there like his -- that care about making people healthier, happier and better -- but there could be a lot more.