Beyond The Board with Graza

On this episode of Beyond the Board, Whole Foods Market CEO Jason Buechel sits down with Andrew Benin, co-founder and CEO of Graza, live from Expo West. Together, they explore how Andrew has disrupted the olive oil industry through unique packaging, product obsession, and authenticity. From a sensory experience while visiting his wife's family in Spain to becoming the fourth-largest extra virgin olive oil brand in America, Andrew opens up about the challenges of convincing traditional olive oil producers to embrace unconventional packaging, the shower moment that sparked the squeeze bottle idea, and how he saw opportunity when others saw difficulty. The conversation explores the risks and rewards of rapid growth, being discovered early on by Whole Foods Market and why Graza waited two years to expand beyond olive oil – hello, mayo! Don't miss this candid conversation about innovation, intuition and building something different in a crowded category. At a glance: 0:55 – Expo West 1:58 – The beginning of Graza 6:30 – The squeeze bottle shower moment 12:26 - Sizzle vs Drizzle 18:29 – Scaling through meaning 20:34 – Expanding the supply chain 22:06 – "Aha Moment" 23:27 – First time seeing the product on shelf 25:22 - Lessons learned 27:10 – Secret sauce of Graza 30:50 – The Whole Foods Market Experience 32:42 – Exploring Graza Mayo 37:50 – Customer Feedback 39:47 – Brand collaborations 41:46 – What's next? 43:52 – Defining success   45:45 – Lightning Round