Sanwa Farmer's Market in East Tampa is a grocery store for farmer's markets and restaurants, but it's also open to this community.
East Tampa can be considered a food desert, and Sanwa is hoping to make people more aware that they're open to the public and provide afforable options for families.
Sanwa has been in the community since 1997.
But it wasn't until 2008-2009 when the recession hit that the market opened to the public. It's been growing ever since.
"So one of the things that differentiates us is our product diversity. So we're carrying a lot of non traditional items that you're not going to find at your normal grocery stores, a lot of Asian items and middle eastern items, Caribbean items," Wesley Pinkerton, CEO of Sanwa Food Group said. "So we tend to be an area where customers come to shop and find something from back home."
The product comes directly into the market location because it's their distribution center, which allows them to offer some product at a discount.
They also partner with different area nonprofits to help support the community.
