Detwiler’s opening large distribution center in Palmetto

Detwiler’s Farm Market is opening a more than 100,000-square-foot distribution facility in north Manatee County at the end of September. 

The warehouse and distribution center in Palmetto will serve as a hub for the company’s six grocery stores in Sarasota and Manatee counties, strengthen local supply chains and create jobs, according to a statement. The 133,000-square-foot facility will also house the home office.

Over the next couple of years, Detwiler's plans to ramp up staffing at the new facility. Currently, the home office and warehouse employ 80 people, according to a Detwiler's spokesperson, who says the goal is to increase that to about 125 people over the next one to two years. Detwiler's Farm Market has about 800 employees spread among its retail locations and corporate structure.

The Detwiler’s distribution center is located in the 2-million-square-foot Florida International Tradeport industrial park from Benderson Development, which spans almost a mile along I-75 near the US 301 interchange in north Manatee County.

Construction of the distribution center took more than a year; the family-owned grocery chain broke ground on the project in May 2024. A private Sept. 29 ribbon-cutting will be attended by the Detwiler family and corporate employees as well as the Benderson team, officials say.

“This facility represents an important investment into our community,” Detwiler’s Farm Market President Sam Detwiler says in a statement, which did not disclose the cost of the project. “By bringing our operations under one roof, we can operate more efficiently, create more jobs and pass along even better pricing to our customers. It also gives us the ability to grow and open more stores in the future.”

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The family-owned grocery chain opened its latest store in December 2023 in Bradenton.

CEO Henry Detwiler, a 2025 Business Observer Top Entrepreneur, said in an interview this spring that the company was looking to expand its footprint north, south and east.

Henry Detwiler founded the company after stints working at an egg tent and produce stand in 2002. He opened the first Detwiler’s store on Palmer Boulevard in Sarasota in 2009. Others followed on the US 41 bypass in Venice; on Clark Road in south Sarasota; on Lockwood Ridge Road just off University Parkway on the Manatee-Sarasota line; on US 301 in Palmetto; and on 53rd Avenue West in Bradenton.

“From our start in a small roadside tent to where we are today, it’s been incredible to see how this community has supported us,” Henry Detwiler says in the statement. “This distribution center allows us to give back — by creating opportunities for local families and making sure we provide fresh food at a fair price for years to come.”

This article was updated to include the number of employees planned for the new Detwiler's distribution center.