Mill expands to commercial market with Whole Foods partnership

Whole Foods will deploy a commercial-scale version of Mill’s food waste bin in each of its grocery stores beginning in 2027. The partnership, which follows conversations that began about a year ago, also involves Amazon. The deployed bins will grind and dehydrate waste from the produce department. This process is designed to reduce landfill fees and provide feed for the grocery chain’s egg producers, lowering both overhead costs and ecological footprint. Additionally, the bins will collect data to help Whole Foods analyze what is wasted and why. According to Mill co-founder and CEO Matt Rogers, the ultimate goal is to help the grocer move upstream to actually waste less food, rather than just making waste operations more efficient.

The commercial expansion represents a long-held goal for the food waste startup. While Mill may have started with households, Rogers noted that expanding to commercial customers has been part of the company’s plan since its Series A pitch deck. The company, which was co-founded by Rogers and Harry Tannenbaum—both alumni of Nest, the smart thermostat company—previously focused on selling household bins. Rogers explained that starting in the consumer market was a deliberate enterprise sales strategy to build data, brand loyalty, and proof points. By placing consumer bins in the homes of senior leadership at target companies, Mill generated early interest that paved the way for commercial contracts. These well-designed devices, often associated with Silicon Valley design standards, became a familiar brand to the Whole Foods team before formal discussions began.

To support its commercial offering, Mill has developed artificial intelligence that uses sensors to determine if food entering the bin should remain on store shelves. This technology is aimed at helping grocers minimize shrink—an industry term for sales lost through waste or theft. Rogers highlighted artificial intelligence as a huge enabler for the company, allowing a small team of engineers to deliver the commercial version quickly. This technological shift helps Mill diversify its revenue streams. Rogers, drawing on his experience at Apple when the iPod accounted for 70% of company revenue, emphasized the danger of relying on a single product line. “If you are a single channel, single customer business, you’re fragile,” Rogers said. To further diversify, Mill is also working on building out a municipal business.

Why it matters

The deal marks a significant expansion for Mill, a food waste startup, into commercial operations with Whole Foods, validating its strategy of using consumer-facing products to build brand loyalty and data before scaling to enterprise customers.