Mid last year, the arrival of Bravo Supermarkets to Lake Nona was announced, generating a big commotion and great expectation within the community. The grand opening finally occurred in December, and the Lake Nona community now has a new alternative for their grocery shopping: Bravo Markets, located at 13024 Narcoossee Rd. Bravo Markets is an adaptation of the Bravo Supermarkets concept devised by Bravo U.S. Group to meet the requirements of this particular community.
Bravo Supermarkets is a supermarket chain with stores in the Northeastern and Southeastern U.S. under the corporate direction of Krasdale Foods out of New York. Each location is operated independently by its owners, and even though they offer a variety of international products, their main focus is in the Hispanic community, who are able to find products from their countries of origin at their local supermarket.
The Ramirez Group (Bravo U.S. Group) operates several Bravo Supermarket locations in Florida, mainly in Central Florida. It all started when they realized the potential market in the Greater Orlando area for a Hispanic supermarket with all the features of large American supermarket chains.
In early 2004, the first Bravo Supermarkets location, not only in Orlando but also in the state of Florida, started business. The opening of the Bravo Supermarket located at Semoran Boulevard and East Colonial Drive spearheaded a fast growth in the area as it met the needs of the Hispanic community with a large variety of their products at hand as well as the ingredients required to prepare their traditional dishes. Thus, in a short time, the Ramirez Group had opened new locations, and other investors with businesses already established in New York also turned their eyes toward the opportunities for development in Florida, deciding to open more Bravo Supermarkets locations in the area.
“The Lake Nona community lacked a supermarket with everything that Bravo Markets has to offer, so we arrived in the area to continue providing variety, freshness, quality, customer service, and savings to our neighbors,” said Michael Verdes, one of the owners of this location.
At Bravo Supermarkets, every aisle takes you home!
One of the main features of Bravo Supermarkets is that each location has its own personality, and that personality is molded by the surrounding community.
“Our neighbors make the variety of products in their Bravo Supermarket grow as they request their preferred products to make the traditional recipes from their countries of origin in order to keep in touch with their cultural roots, sharing with family and friends each special meal. In the case of Bravo Markets on Narcoossee Road, we go a little further. Besides everything that we regularly offer in our various Bravo locations, we now have an à la carte menu in our Nona Place Kitchen, complemented with beer and wine and served in indoor and outdoor seating areas with a family atmosphere. We also offer catering service under the guidance of Chef Herminio Itier, a sushi station managed by The Escobar Kitchen with a perfect Asian-Latin fusion, and, to top it all off, a broad selection of desserts prepared daily in our bakery by Master Pastry Chef Angelo. Bravo Markets has options for every taste,” emphasized Verdes.
Since its arrival to the city of Orlando 17 years ago, Bravo Supermarkets has contributed to the economy by creating jobs as well as to society, teaming up with businesses and organizations to get them involved in activities and programs to help the community.
Central Florida is Bravo Territory! And, fortunately, Lake Nona has one of its best propositions: Bravo Markets, located at 13024 Narcoossee Rd. For more information, please contact the store by phone at (407) 863-3866 and follow their social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook: @bravonarcoossee. New weekly specials are published every Thursday.
Photos Courtesy of Bravo Markets
