Sprouts Farmers Market has opened a new produce distribution center in Orlando, Florida; it’s first in the state and seventh across the country. The center will serve all the grocer’s current 23 stores in the state and the additional 10 locations planned to open in Florida this year.
The 135,000 square-foot facility was built for Sprouts and includes 34°F and 55°F storage and fruit ripening rooms that are ideal for the wide variety of fresh produce Sprouts offers. Sprouts recently announced it will drive efficiencies across its network of fresh distribution centers by locating them within 250 miles of the stores they serve, allowing for fresher, local assortment.
“With organics representing more than a third of our produce business in Florida, we know shoppers across the state are interested in fresh, affordable organics and local varieties,” said chief fresh merchandising officer Scott Neal, in a statement. “We’ve put together a team of local produce buyers to bring to market the freshest, local product available. Additionally, the new center’s state-of-the-art ripening rooms provide the ideal climate for produce storage and will immediately provide shoppers with perfectly-ripe avocados and bananas.”
To celebrate the opening, the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation donated $25,000 to Fleet Farming, an Orlando nonprofit urban agriculture program that brings edible landscaping to schools, community centers, and affordable housing units to increase local food accessibility.
Related: Sprouts Commits to Offering Unique Products; Sprouts to Open First Store of 2021.
Image: Sprouts Farmers Market