Inside Whole Foods’ Titan of Tampa

Whole Foods Market opened the doors to its new 48,000-square-foot store at 3740 Midtown Drive in Tampa, Fla., on July 7. The bright and airy store replaces an older Tampa Whole Foods Market location just minutes away at 1548 North Dale Mabry Highway.

Like all its stores, the new Tampa Whole Foods emphasizes local in every department, including the produce department, which offers a variety of Sourced for Good produce as well as salsa from Tampa-based Sunset Salsa and sprouts from Miami-based Fullei Fresh.

“For the midtown Tampa store, we focused on deepening our partnership with existing suppliers and with 800 local products and 160 local brands found throughout the store, there is already a lot of local to celebrate,” Joanne Neugebauer, Whole Foods Market local forager, Florida region, told WGB last month.

Local selections also abound in the full-service butcher that sells Florida-raised beef from Adams Ranch; the vast cheese selection overseen by an in-store American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional; and in the specialty foods section featuring local treats such as toffee from Pinellas Park’s Toffee to Go.

The prepared foods section features a wide selection of hot and cold food bars such as salad, soups, pizza and charcuterie. Other temptations include fresh packed pasta, ready-to-heat meals, and new gourmet salads, made by Whole Foods Market chefs.

In the Austin, Texas-based grocer’s newest store, shoppers will find an extensive selection of nearly 200 beers, including options from St. Petersburg and Tampa local breweries like Green Bench Brewing Co. and Tampa Bay Brewing Co. Local beer offerings also include 813 Midtown Hazy IPA from Coppertail Brewing and Hello Neighbor Key Lime IPA from Cigar City Brewing.

The bakery department offers custom cakes and special diet options. Local selection includes tres leches cake from Momma’s Baked Goods and cookies from Cosa Duci Italian Bakery. Inspired by the area’s sunsets, the bakery also features a new cake—Sunset in Tampa—a vanilla cake with bright orange marmalade and lemon curd in a tangy cream cheese frosting.