How Mill's AI-Powered Solution Won Over Amazon and Whole Foods

What started as a consumer-focused food waste initiative has evolved into a significant commercial partnership. Mill, the food waste technology startup co-founded by Matt Rogers, has successfully sealed a landmark agreement with Amazon and Whole Foods to deploy its commercial-grade waste management system across Whole Foods grocery locations beginning in 2027.

The Commercial Expansion Strategy

The journey from household consumers to enterprise customers was intentional from the beginning. Rogers emphasized that consumer adoption served as the foundation for proving product viability and building brand credibility. “Starting in consumer was very intentional because you build the proof points, you build the data, the brand, loyalty,” Rogers explained. Many Whole Foods team members had already experienced Mill’s consumer bins at home, creating natural buy-in when partnership discussions began.

This consumer-first approach became part of Mill’s enterprise sales playbook. When pitching to potential commercial partners, the company encourages decision-makers to try the product at home first—a surprisingly effective strategy that generates enthusiasm from leadership.

What Sealed the Partnership

The real game-changer wasn’t just operational efficiency; it was Mill’s AI-powered capability to identify waste before it happens. Using advanced sensors and machine learning, Mill’s system can determine whether produce entering the bin should still be on shelves. This addresses a critical pain point for retailers: “shrink”—the industry term for revenue lost through waste or theft. In today’s competitive retail environment, even small reductions in inventory loss can provide significant margins.

The technology breakthrough came partly from advances in large language models. Rogers highlighted that what once required dozens of engineers and extensive resources at Nest now takes a small team to achieve superior results. “AI is a huge enabler,” Rogers noted, allowing Mill to accelerate development of its commercial offering.

Beyond Waste Reduction

The Whole Foods deployment accomplishes multiple objectives simultaneously. Commercial bins will grind and dehydrate waste from produce departments, reducing landfill disposal costs while creating valuable feed for the company’s egg producers. The system also generates valuable data about waste patterns, helping Whole Foods optimize inventory management and reduce upstream waste.

For retailers managing operations across multiple locations—and considering options to buy Whole Foods products online or in-store—understanding waste patterns is crucial to controlling overall operational costs.

Building a Diversified Business

Rogers emphasized the importance of avoiding business fragility through customer concentration. Drawing from his experience at Apple during the iPod era, he explained how over-reliance on a single revenue stream can be dangerous. When iPod dominated Apple’s revenue, the company faced pressure from competitors like Motorola to build new growth engines—leading to the iPhone.

Mill is applying this lesson strategically. Beyond the consumer segment and now the retail partnership with Whole Foods and Amazon, the company is developing municipal waste management solutions. “We’re continuing to add more legs to the stool and adding more diversity to the business,” Rogers said.

The partnership represents more than a contract—it signals how AI and sensor technology are transforming traditional industries, and how companies that build trust at the consumer level can leverage that foundation to capture valuable enterprise opportunities.