Krasdale’s Bravo Supermarket boosts Florida footprint with new store openings in Ocala and Sarasota

Krasdale Foods, the 114-year-old independent wholesaler and retailer, has expanded its Bravo Supermarket Florida footprint with two new store openings and more on the way, Krasdale told WGB on Friday.

Bravo Supermarket opened a new store in Sarasota on Thursday at 935 N. Beneva Rd. Suite 101. The store is owned by the Diaz family. The store opening is part of Bravo’s expansion outside the metro New York neighborhoods, where the brand was first established in 1975. Bravo Supermarkets is also planning a store in Orlando, but a launch date has not been set, Krasdale told WGB.

The 17,800-square-foot Ocala store, which opened last Friday, is located at 8585 SW Rd. 200, and features a “robust selection of products for its diverse community,” the grocer said in a statement.

“I am extremely excited and proud to be opening my first Florida Bravo store here in Ocala,” said store owner Jose Jorge in a statement. “From what began as a dream when I was a child and visiting a Bravo in Brooklyn, New York, to fulfilling that wish and bringing it to the beautiful city of Ocala. My goal is to provide the community with as much variety as possible so everyone can buy affordable food to recreate family recipes from all corners of the world."  

The store offers in-store shoppers a wide selection of hot food items prepared daily as well as the option of delivery with the store’s partners: Instacart, Grubhub, Uber Eats and DoorDash.

"We are proud to support Jose Jorge on this journey, being a first-time Florida supermarket owner," said Dennis Wallin, EVP of new business development at Alpha 1 Marketing, the in-house marketing agency that supports the Bravo brand, in a statement. “Jose's exuberance is unmatched, and we are confident that his Bravo Ocala store will be very successful. We look forward to the reaction of the Ocala community." 

With its base of operations in New York, Krasdale has spread throughout the Northeast and Florida with store banners that include: CTown, Bravo, Aim, Market Fresh, Shop Smart Food Markets and Stop 1 Food Mart.