Bay Food Brokerage, a retail food brokerage company, has purchased an office building in Tampa’s Westshore Business District for $4.3 million. At 11,975 square feet, the two-story property at 5201 W Laurel Street will double the size of Bay Food’s current office space on Memorial Highway in Tampa.
“We’ve been on a fairly steep growth trajectory for the past decade, and it was time to upgrade the size, location and amenities of our headquarters,” said EVP Chris Chatterton of Bay Food Brokerage. “Our rapid growth in recent years – in terms of revenue and employees – prompted a need for space that’s comfortable for our team and also can support our growth into the future.”
Previously occupied by a food service brokerage company, the property included features Bay Food needed, such as a commercial test kitchen.
“It’s not often that we come across a building so perfectly matched, especially considering the special requirements needed to operate a food brokerage business,” Ahern said. “For many, a full-service commercial kitchen built within their office headquarters would be considered excessive; but, for Bay Food Brokerage, this building checked nearly every box.”
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Cammie Chatterton, president and CEO, established Bay Food Brokerage in 1993, as one of the first women in the country to own a retail food brokerage company.
“We’re thrilled to have found a building in a location that really meets all our needs and will allow us to grow into the next generation of Bay Food Brokerage,” Chatterton said. “We’re also excited to move from Hillsborough County into the City of Tampa, the city we love and support through many charitable endeavors.”
Bay Food Brokerage will renovate the new building, making cosmetic and floorplan updates such as interior and exterior paint, new flooring and adding offices. Move-in is anticipated for March 2025.
“The property was an ideal corporate headquarters location and in great condition,” Andretta said. “It was a pleasure to represent the seller, and it was such a smooth transaction working with the buyer’s broker, Abbey Ahern.”
Bay Food Brokerage owns three buildings totaling about 7,000 square feet on Memorial Highway in Tampa. Upon relocating to the new property, leadership plans to explore leasing or selling the current space. The company also has an office location in Lake Wylie, South Carolina.
