Specialty grocer coming to Clermont
Rosemarie DowellCorrespondent
A relatively new Tampa-based, bulk-food specialty grocer is bringing its 35 distinctive types of coffee, 40 unique flours, nearly 100 different spices, along with raw, local honey and hundreds of other specialty items to Clermont.
Bulk Nation, which carries more than 3,000 conventional and organic food products, will open at 2355 S. U.S. Highway 27 this month or early November, at the site of the former 4,800-square-foot Rainbow clothing store at Clermont Landing, company founder Clay Donato said.
"Clermont is a great market, we've done our due diligence and we're excited to be opening there," he said. "It's a family-oriented community and our stores in those types of areas are doing very well."
Founded in 2012, the retailer, which has locations in Brandon, Clearwater, Lakeland, Largo, and in Orlando on East Colonial Drive offers a wide selection of products including dried fruit, nuts, ancient grains, pasta, loose-leaf teas, spices and beans, as well as a large variety of hard and soft candies and chocolates — all sold by weight.
Options also include exotic hard-to-find rice, freshly made nut butters, 10 types of olive oil and vinegar, snack items, and protein powders as well as raw, local honey stored in heated vats.
"Ninety percent of our items are unique — you won't find them in a typical grocery store," said Donato, who opened the company's Lakeland store earlier this month. "Everything is fresh, too. Products go straight from the truck to the shelf."
Paying for products without fancy or eye-catching packaging that Americans expect saves customers money in the checkout line. Bulk Nation's customer base includes millennials and older folks who appreciate the company's eco-friendly ways as well, he said.
"There's significant savings when buying as little or as much as you want," Donato said. "And our diverse customer base embraces the fact we sell both organic and conventional foods minus wasteful packaging."
Donato, a two-time all-American tennis player at the University of North Carolina and former tennis pro, said even while playing, he always wanted to enter the business world and came up with Bulk Nation as a way to fill a void present in America's food markets.
"In Europe and other parts of the world, bulk shopping is very popular," he said. "That's how most people shop — everything you buy is loose."
The company has an aggressive expansion plan in the works and expects to open a Kissimmee location later this month, along with Tarpon Springs after that.
"We're looking at opening a St. Cloud store early next year," said Donato.
Bulk Nation also plans to open five new stores in Orlando though 2017 under a franchise agreement, and anticipates opening locations in Jacksonville, South Florida and Oklahoma as well.
By the end of 2017, the company hopes to have nearly 20 stores open for business.
We are excited about our growth," he said. "We want to bring the benefits of bulk food shopping to additional customers."
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