Sprouts Farmers Market has opened a new distribution center in Aurora, Colorado, making it the first in the state and the sixth across the country. A seventh distribution center will open in Florida this summer.
The 135,000-square-foot Aurora facility, which services 45 of the grocer’s stores, includes refrigerated and frozen storage, along with fruit ripening rooms.
In addition to fresh, seasonal, and specialty produce, like organic cotton candy grapes, lychee and starfruit, Sprouts will distribute local produce and floral from the new hub. Colorado stores will benefit from expanded local and organic produce varieties and a new local herb and mushroom selection, appealing to the interests of Sprouts’ health-minded customers.
“As we grow our footprint, we will strategically place new stores and distribution centers closer together to maximize our owned fresh product network. This will better serve our customers who are looking to Sprouts for the best quality and value in fresh and organic produce,” said chief fresh merchandising officer Scott Neal, in a statement. “The location of our Aurora facility, combined with features such as ripening rooms for bananas and avocados, two of our top-selling produce items, will immediately provide our stores with an expanded selection of affordable organics.”
To celebrate the opening, the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation donated $25,000 and a John Deere Gator vehicle to Denver Urban Gardens to help it increase farming capacity at the DeLaney Community Farm, a refugee-led community farm in Aurora. The funding will be used to install a hoop tunnel greenhouse that will allow for year-round growing and seedling germination at the farm, and ongoing farmer training.
Related: Sprouts Founder Passes Away; Sprouts Will Open 20 Stores This Year.
Image: Sprouts Farmers Market