CHEYENNE — Wyoming’s first Sprouts Farmers Market location opens Friday in Cheyenne, expanding the Arizona-based grocery store’s presence to 24 states.
Shoppers at Sprouts won’t find products like Pepsi or Doritos at the store, and likely will not have heard of many of the brands offered there. Instead, the store aims to offer a healthier array of grocery options.
“It’s got to bring a healthier lifestyle and a better choice of groceries and produce to the customer,” said assistant store manager Anthony Stephenson. “We’ve got a model … about making sure that we all live and eat healthier, and that’s what Sprouts is all about. You’re going to see that if you’ve walked our floor and how good our produce actually looked. The thing is, a lot of our produce, our meat, is actually locally produced and brought into our store.”
Sprouts public relations manager Lauren Frank said that produce is typically the top-selling item at any Sprouts location.
“Our produce is the heart of our store. It’s truly what keeps us differentiated from other grocers,” she said. “… We have a distribution center in Aurora, Colorado, and we have to make sure that we’re not too far from a distribution center, because everything is always fresh and seasonal. So yeah, that’s kind of our big … claim to fame.”
In addition to produce, the store also has items like vegan cookies, gluten-free pasta, two refrigerators of alternative milks and freeze-dried popsicles.
“The thing that it’s going to be a big change for our customers is they’re going to see a lot of brands that they’re not used to, because it is more about the healthy living,” Stephenson said. “If they have a gluten deficiency or any allergies, we actually have a lot of products to help that kind of customer and everybody else in the community.”
Shoppers can also purchase meals from the store’s deli or a pre-made heat-and-eat meal section.
In the center of the store is a section where they rotate new vendors, typically from small businesses that sell on social media or direct to consumer, that are new to Sprouts, called the “New For You” area. These products are featured for about two months and, if successful, are introduced to the store’s selection full-time.
Frank said one of her favorite products that got its start in part in the “New For You” section is the tortilla chips from Siete, which now sells across the country.
Additionally, the store says that all leftover produce that is not fit for sale but still fit for consumption will be donated to the Food Bank of the Rockies.
“I’m excited to get going and nervous all at the same time to see how many people we actually have at the door in the morning,” Stephenson said Thursday. “It’s going to be good for the town.”
Sprouts continues to grow and plans to open more locations across the nation before the end of the year. They currently employ approximately 31,000 employees across over 400 stores. The Cheyenne location, at 5214 Rue Terre, in the Kohl’s shopping center, will employ around 100 people.
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