The purpose of this cookbook and ingredient index is to simplify the reasoning behind eating a plant based diet--including how it can be beneficial to your health, and what benefits each ingredient provides. These recipes have been cultivated and modified over time to provide nutritious meals that are also tasty. I was introduced to healthy eating at a young age, and have been fascinated by it ever since. The recipes and information conveyed about a plant based diet have come from the many books read and research I have done on the subject. This paper will walk you through how I started this journey, and go on to show a basic overview of what makes up the foods we consume and why we need them. The cookbook portion of my Thesis contains recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, sauces, and dessert. Following the cookbook is an ingredient index that goes through the majority of ingredients used in my recipes, and what health benefits they provide. I hope that by reading this, others will be inspired to use more plant-based whole foods in their diet, and realize the healing that can come from them.

Could you imagine a world without hot sauce? Unfortunately, hot sauce is a relatively new invention, and some people have had to experience and live without the wonders and flavors it provides. RAJAJE Sauce is a veteran-owned and family-operated start-up. RAJAJE Sauce originated in the heart of Mexico, known as Mexico City, where Javier and his family enjoy it with countless servings of tacos. His mother always dreamed of bringing this hot sauce to the market, but we weren’t sure how to go about it. There were so many questions. Was there a market for this hot sauce? Do other people like the hot sauce? Who would be our audience? How would we go about marketing this product, and how would the logistics of something like this work? Through extensive research, we found that there is plenty of room for the hot sauce industry to grow, giving RAJAJE Sauce plenty of opportunities to make a name for itself and become a household name with each new customer.

For this study, I visited twenty Sprouts Farmers Market locations across the Phoenix-metro area to determine the company’s in-store strategy to make their locations a destination that customers pleasantly anticipate visiting. As a business student myself and a Sprouts employee, I have familiarity with the company and desired to learn more about why Sprouts stores are so appealing and fun to visit. My method was to determine a representative sample of stores in the “Valley” to visit. At each location, I requested to speak with a manager and asked him or her four questions about that particular store. I also spent approximately forty minutes examining each location and observing details about each store according to a precomposed list of things to particularly notice but with room to add details regarding each store’s unique elements and commonalities with the other locations. The results of this study were rewarding, as at nineteen of the twenty stores I was able to speak with a manager who graciously answered my questions. I collected much data from these interviews and from my own observations. The most significant conclusion I reached was that Sprouts Farmers Market promotes health, natural-eating, freshness, and friendliness in every area. From pleasant employees to natural lighting to unique brands, Sprouts endeavors to carry products that meet the special dietary needs of each customer no matter how general or specific they may be. Another key discovery I made is that the entire company and each individual store revolves around the produce department. Because this is the core of the business, extra measures are taken to promote it, such as frequent produce deliveries to ensure fresh products are on the shelf, extra lighting in that part of the store, and frequent stocking and sweeping to keep the area full and clean. Additionally, the produce department has ample signage denoting organic and local products and information signs about how to consume various produce items, including information to learn about the farmers who grew the goods. Beyond these key elements of Sprouts Farmers Market, an intangible element exists which sets Sprouts apart from its competitors, and that is the personal touch. Sprouts’ employees are friendly, welcoming, and helpful. They are encouraged to ask customers if they need assistance and to inquire how their day is going. The employees are also educated on the products they sell as well as various dietary trends so that they can help shoppers find products that fit their needs. This warmth, helpfulness, and friendliness trickles down from the top management at each store and is communicated to the customers through their interactions with the employees. This personal touch is so important to Sprouts Farmers Market that the company even has a program to encourage employee helpfulness. It is called the “Yes” Program, and essentially empowers employees and managers to authorize price adjustments, exchanges, returns, and the like to assist and serve shoppers with exceptional customer service and provide whatever is necessary to make the customers happy and desirous to become repeat shoppers at Sprouts Farmers Market.