Sprouts Farmers Market

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc.

Company type	Public
Industry	Grocery retail
Founded	January 1, 2002 (2002-01-01) in Chandler, Arizona, United States
Founder	Boney family
Headquarters	Phoenix, Arizona , United States
Area served	24 U.S. states
Products	Natural and organic groceries, fresh produce, bulk items, meats, poultry, seafood, deli selections, baked goods, dairy products, frozen foods, vitamins, supplements, natural personal care items, household essentials
Number of employees	35000
Website	www.sprouts.com

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc., based in Phoenix, Arizona, is a grocery chain focused on natural and organic products. Its offerings include fresh fruits and vegetables, bulk items, packaged groceries, meats, poultry, seafood, deli selections, baked goods, dairy products, and frozen foods. Additionally, the retailer provides vitamins, supplements, natural personal care items, and household essentials. Sprouts operates more than 400 locations across 24 states in the United States and employs close to 35,000 individuals.

History

The company's roots date back to 1943 when Henry Boney launched a fresh fruit stand in San Diego, California, which gradually developed into a network of open-air farmers markets. In 1969, his sons introduced Boney's Market, which was rebranded as Henry's Farmers Market in 1997. Sprouts Farmers Market was established in 2002 in Chandler, Arizona by members of the Boney family.

In 2011, the merger of Henry's, Sun Harvest, and Sprouts under the ownership of Apollo Global Management resulted in all stores being unified under the Sprouts name. The brand further grew by acquiring Sunflower markets in 2012. Sprouts went public on NASDAQ in 2013, with Apollo divesting its remaining shares by 2015.

The company earned recognition from Fortune magazine as one of the World's Most Admired Companies for two consecutive years, 2018 and 2019.

In 2021, Sprouts collaborated with MyFitnessPal to offer nutritious recipes, fitness challenges, and wellness content via the app, reinforcing its commitment to health-oriented retailing.

Charitable giving

Sprouts launched the Healthy Communities Foundation in 2015 to fund local initiatives promoting health and wellness. Since its inception, the foundation has granted over $18 million to nonprofit organizations across 23 states. In 2021 alone, it awarded upwards of $3 million to more than 115 groups.

Sustainability

The company participates in a food waste reduction initiative that redistributes edible but unsellable food to hunger-relief organizations, repurposes unsuitable food as animal feed, and composts leftover materials. In 2019, Sprouts received recognition from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenChill program for its efforts to lower refrigerant emissions and reduce environmental impact.

However, some local farmers and advocates for food sovereignty have criticized Sprouts for using the term farmers market, arguing that it should be reserved exclusively for venues where producers sell directly to consumers.

About

Sprouts focuses on offering products that are minimally processed and free from artificial additives such as flavors, colors, preservatives, and synthetic substances; approximately 90% of its inventory adheres to these criteria. The company markets a private-label line comprising over 2,400 items. Beef selections range from choice cuts to grass-fed varieties. The vitamins and supplements section typically stocks around 7,500 products. Produce represents about one-quarter of Sprouts’ sales and includes roughly 200 varieties of organic fruits and vegetables. Nearly one-third of merchandise is regularly featured in promotional deals.

Animal welfare concerns

In April 2017, Direct Action Everywhere released footage exposing alleged mistreatment at Morning Fresh Farms—Sprouts’s supplier of cage-free eggs—showing chickens suffering from injuries and starvation due to neglect. Sprouts responded by stating that Morning Fresh Farms maintained that the video did not reflect conditions at their cage-free facility.

Store locations

Sprouts maintains a presence in 24 states, including Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.