Day by day, the world is getting a little bit greener, thanks at least in part to Barbera Aimes, founder and president of the eco-friendly ImagiPlay toy company, based in Boulder, Colo. A green (and a fair trade) business by design since its debut 10 years ago, ImagiPlay is now set to reap the rewards for that dedication and insight through a partnership with Whole Foods Market, which began distributing Aimes’ wooden playthings nationwide in recent months.

“We’re ecstatic about working with Whole Foods,” Aimes tells Playthings about the partnership. “It’s really a match made in heaven. We’ve been a values-based company so long, when most people were only concerned about price. It’s great to be working with a customer who shares our values and appreciates them—even challenges them, to make us better.”

Most Whole Foods locations across the U.S. will offer 13 core items in its toy aisles, many of which are ImagiPlay recent bestsellers, including Puff the Alphabet Dragon, Number Snail, Santa Puzzle, Christmas Tree puzzle, PushAlong Duck, PushAlong Hybrid Car, Bird Rattle, Elephant Rattle, PuzzlePlay Rainforest, Backyard Buddy Blocks, African Safari Playset, Zoom to the Moon Playset and Veggie Cutting Set.

In addition, each regional buyer has the option to choose from the more than 150 additional SKUs of toys made from rubberwood and other sustainable materials. So far, buyers have been selecting between 20 and 100 additional items for their stores depending on their needs, especially when it comes to themed items—such as an Orca puzzle in the Pacific Northwest and Southwest-themed playsets and puzzles in the Southwest U.S.—that cater to the local customer base, Aimes says, noting, “The differences that we’re seeing are mostly along those lines.”

Aimes says that her company could begin to produce exclusive items, and says special packaging might not be too far behind. “We have not been approached with that yet, but we’re expecting it to come and we’re looking forward to it, yeah,” she says.

She also notes that the partnership with Whole Foods is unique in that each store location operates “so much like a specialty store.” She notes, “I’ve had the opportunity to travel to many different Whole Foods during this and it’s just amazing how different the stores are, it does give it that mom-and-pop feel. The buying is very localized at the store level.”

At the same time, Whole Foods distribution will mean big business for the tiny toymaker. Sales have already “gone up considerably and we’re thinking by the end of the year, sales will be up—I think 50 percent is conservative and 100 percent is possible,” Aimes says.

It’s an exciting turn of events for a company that once faced opposition to its earth-friendly business model. “It’s a tough thing to do, and I had advice not to do it. People were afraid for us, and it’s turning out that it really was the best thing for us to do, just come out and show ourselves for what we have been all these years and not try to be like everybody else.”

She adds, “For so long, most stores have been so price sensitive. That’s the main thing that they care about … I’m hoping that it’s changing. I think people’s awareness of earth sensitive materials is growing.”

In the meantime, other retailers are taking notice; ImagiPlay is already in talks with a second supermarket chain, Aimes says.

“We’ve been selling basically values-based toys for 10 years, and really nobody cared … we’re selling more than just a toy that has educational value and play value. It’s safe for children, but it’s also safe for their planet. We actually put a lot of effort into making sure that our toys are earth friendly and socially responsible. There’s no sweatshop labor involved in the making of our toys. This is what we mean by values-based … it’s what [we] stand for.”

[Editor’s Note: Whole Foods declined to speak with Playthings about its distribution of ImagiPlay’s toys due to the “competitive nature” of its business.]