From starting his career developing the iPhone to revolutionizing home technology with Nest, Matt Rogers has always been driven by a mission to bring beautiful design and intelligence to everyday problems. In this episode of Beyond the Board, Mill co-founder Matt Rogers sits down with Whole Foods Market CEO Jason Buechel to discuss his latest venture: food waste. Inspired by his own observations during COVID and trained by Steve Jobs to see details in everyday life, Matt recognized that food waste, responsible for 10% of global emissions and $400 billion in wasted food annually, was a problem worth solving. Now, Mill is bringing the same design excellence and customer obsession he learned at Apple to create an easy-to-use, sleek solution that makes reducing food waste as simple as using a trash can.
This conversation explores how two mission-driven companies – Mill and Whole Foods Market – are working together to combat food waste. Matt shares insights on building missionary teams, the importance of starting with the hardest problem (the home), and the impact of bringing Mill Commercial into Whole Foods Market stores in 2027. From Apple's culture of customer obsession to Mill's vision of a world without waste, this episode reveals how great mission combined with great people creates transformative change.
At a glance:
1:11 – The impact of Steve Jobs and Apple
3:45 – Entrepreneurial spirit
6:30 – Being customer obsessed
8:15 – Inspiration behind Nest
12:34 – Early days of Mill
16:28 – Tackling the challenges of composting
19:07 – The importance and ease of design
20:58 – The mobile app
21:41 – Mill x Whole Foods Market 2027
25:00 – The future of food waste
30:00 – Secret Sauce of Mill
32:30 – Lightning round
