Sprouts Farmers Market Pilots Boba Tea In-Store Concept in L.A.

Specialty grocer's 1st Percolate location to debut Feb. 4

1/26/2023

A locally owned boba tea company will debut an in-store concept in Sprouts' Los Angeles location.

Sprouts Farmers Market will open its first pilot location for Percolate, a local California boba tea concept, inside its La Brea store in Los Angeles on Feb. 4.

Known for offering high-quality milk teas, matcha, coffee and boba, Percolate uses premium, real and fresh ingredients in all of its drinks. The menu includes unique beverages like Blue Mango, cold-brewed butterfly pea flower tea with hints of lemongrass, lychee and mango fruit puree; the Yuzu Sparkler, green tea paired with yuzu puree and sparkling mineral water; and the Figgy Smalls, house-made mission fig puree with a touch of Earl Gray tea, served with organic whole milk.

The new Percolate in-store concept will be located in the Sprouts store on 915 North La Brea Avenue.

“We were born in a farmers market, with our first-ever location being a stall at Irvine Farmers Market in 2017,” said Jeremy Godsil, of Los Angeles-based Percolate Tea. “Our mission has always been to use the finest ingredients available to create a quality product, which perfectly aligns with Sprouts and their customers’ values as well. Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley have been the epicenter of boba in the United States for a number of years now, and we are thrilled to be recognized by the local community and Sprouts.”

The new Percolate location will operate Monday through Sunday 11:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m., while the Sprouts La Brea store is open daily from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.

“As two like-minded companies aiming to offer the community the best options while promoting health and wellness, it was a perfect fit to open this Percolate location inside the La Brea store,” said Dave McGlinchey, chief strategy officer of Sprouts. “It’s exciting to give our customers this unique option while supporting a local, growing company.”

The Percolate grand opening on Saturday, Feb. 4 will include live music, gift card raffles, free tea vouchers from Percolate and a grand prize giveaway of a new 55-inch Samsung Smart TV. The first 200 customers will get a free medium drink of their choice, with additional discounts offered throughout the opening weekend.

This isn’t the only in-store beverage concept that Sprouts is testing out. In October 2022, the grocer revealed plans to incorporate the first locally owned in-store Press Coffee location in its Phoenix store. This pilot location is said to feature a workspace area and a full drink menu including specialty drip and cold-brew coffee, shakers, hot and iced tea, and nitro bold brew.

Sprouts, one of the fastest-growing retailers in the country, recently opened its newest store in Nashville, Tenn., on Jan. 20. Other locations soon to debut include stores in Surprise, Ariz., and Lathrop, Calif., both opening on Feb. 3. Additionally, its Stockton, Calif., location is scheduled to open on March 10.

Phoenix-based Sprouts Farmers Market employs approximately 31,000 associates and operates approximately 380 stores in 23 states nationwide. The company is No. 53 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.