Bulk Food Superstore opens in Ellenton, and it’s already bustling

Bulk Food Superstore opened over the weekend in the Kmart shopping center along U.S. 301, offering barrels of snacks, nuts, dried fruit, spices, flours, gourmet oils, vinegars and more — all sold by the scoop or whatever smaller amount the shopper prefers.

The family company is owned by two Bradenton area husband-and-wife teams, Brian and Annette Brama, and Oliver and Lindsay Brama. Brian and Oliver are brothers.

“Everything is so fresh and nice. I could go nuts in here,” Colleen Wayne said Monday as she shopped with her mother, Sheila Wayne.

Her first purchase was a scoop or two of trail mix.

“Their dried fruits are fabulous. Sometimes you just need a small amount of something unusual. They have a good mix here of everything,” Sheila Wayne said.

The store was bustling with shoppers Monday morning, and the Bramas were all pleased with their first days at 6234 U.S. 301 N.

“The opening was pretty smooth,” Brian Brama said.

Now that Bulk Food Superstore has its second location open — the first is in Sun City Center — look for the company to continue growing and evolving, he said.

Ellenton will do double-duty as a warehouse location for the two locations, and for planned new locations south of Bradenton in Fort Myers, Miami, and possibly more, he said.

The Ellenton store has an expanded refrigerated section, and the company has applied for a license so that it can sell craft beers and wine.

Also look for the company to offer healthy, pre-made meals at some point in the future, Brian Brama said.

Bulk Food Superstore buys from local vendors when it can, but also buys from sources in the north as well, Oliver Brama said.

“We are a specialty shop that offers food that the larger supermarkets won’t have,” he said.

The Bramas hope to have their web site, bulkfoodsuperstore.com, updated within the week to include the Ellenton location. They plan to offer online shopping as well, and to offer regular updates of their product line on their Facebook page.

The family brought the bulk food concept from their native Canada.

“We settled in Bradenton because it is a nice location and the schools are good. We always had in our mind we wouldn’t stop at one store,” Annette Brama has told the Herald.

A grand opening is planned for September, Annette Brama said.

Business hours are 9 a.m.- 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday.

This story was originally published July 17, 2017 at 2:04 PM with the headline "Bulk Food Superstore opens in Ellenton, and it’s already bustling."