Don’t Miss Nutrition Smart’s Customer Appreciation Day — Saturday, October 24!

Vendor demonstrations (below right) and special deals (above left) are both part of Customer Appreciation Days at Nutrition Smart on BBD. 

Even with Whole Foods now under construction less than a half-mile further south on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., I will continue to shop at Nutrition Smart — which opened in Wesley Chapel in 2008. All of the produce is organic and not really higher priced than Publix — and definitely less expensive than Whole Foods. 


The store has great selections of healthy eggs (below left) and grass-fed beef (right), as well as bulk products like healthy pumpkin seeds & popcorn, plus coffee & much more.

i heart bees raw honey (below right), Sami’s Bakery breads (below left) & Ice Cream for Bears (Below) are just some of the healthier products at Nutrition Smart.  

There’s bulk coffee and healthy nuts, seeds, popcorn and more. There’s raw milk, grass-fed beef, top-quality eggs and a huge variety of the most popular brands of healthy dark chocolate (and thankfully for me, quality milk chocolate, too, even though I know it has none of the health benefits of dark chocolate). There’s even Ice Cream for Bears, which is made only with honey (get it?) instead of sugar. 

Sami’s Bakery breads

Throughout the store, one of only two in Florida (the other is in Pembroke Pines near Hollywood), there are items marked as “Flocal,” as in “Florida Local,” meaning the products are grown or made right here in the Sunshine State. 

Among those Flocal options is Sami’s Bakery bread, which is made in Temple Terrace and has gluten-free, high-fiber and low-carb breads that actually are delicious. There’s also i heart bees raw, unfiltered Florida honey that is grown across the state and is packaged in BPA-free pouches. 

And, store manager Fausto Soriano and health & beauty care and wellness manager Joe Geier, who took photographer Charmaine George and me on another tour of the store, are proud that Nutrition Smart has “the largest selection of vitamins and supplements in this area,” according to Joe. Both are well aware of every health trend, including the fact that so many people are taking GLP-1 medications to help with weight loss these days that they are turning to supplements like creatine to help build back muscle mass that also is lost when GLP-1s like Wegovy (semaglutide) and Zepbound (tirzepatide) are taken, especially long-term. 

Also extremely popular right now are collagen peptides (like the Florida-based Healthy Living Proteins brand shown right), which help improve skin hydration, reduce wrinkles, provide joint and bone density support and also can help with muscle mass when combined with resistance training. 

“And, best of all,” Fausto says, “the people we have on the floor are all extremely knowledgeable about what we sell. If there’s something you need, they’ll ask the right questions to help you choose the best option for you.” 

Divine Leaf Vegan is A Hit! 

The popular Divine Leaf Vegan cafĂ© inside Nutrition Smart make a The Beyond Patty Melt that is truly…divine.

“We used to run the juice bar in the back of the store ourselves,” Fausto says. “But, not only was our tenant the Divine Leaf Vegan CafĂ© the first vegan restaurant in Wesley Chapel, serving delicious sandwiches (like the Beyond Patty Melt on the next page), it also makes amazing healthy smoothies.” This month’s special is the Harvest Moon Smoothie, which is made with apples, mangoes, cashews, dates, blue agave nectar, house-made caramel sauce, cinnamon and Garden of Life turmeric booster. It literally tastes like a caramel apple. 

Customer Appreciation Day-Oct. 24! 

One of the best days of the year to give Nutrition Smart a try is its annual Customer Appreciation Day, which takes place this year on Saturday, October 24. It’s a full day of fun, education and savings that includes FREE goodie bags, starting at 8 a.m. — while supplies last — and FREE samples and vendor demos throughout the entire day. There also are free raffles — and you don’t have to be present to win. Raffle prize winners will be contacted via text the following Monday. There also will be a live DJ on-site from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and much more. 

“A lot of people do find us on Customer Appreciation Days,” Fausto says. “Once we get them in the store, they usually always come back.” 

And, although I first found Nutrition Smart before it opened as Wesley Chapel’s first — and for now, still the only — “green” grocery store, I also keep coming back for its excellent produce, Jannah’s favorite spearmint tea and Sami’s Bakery bread, plus two of my favorite healthy cookies (I’m partial right now to the chewy Alyssa’s Healthy Oatmeal Bites) and more. 

For more info about Nutrition Smart (1821 BBD), call (813) 341-4444 or visit NutritionSmart.com. See the ad below for a coupon that gives you 20% off purchases of $75 or more & 10% off purchases of less than $75. 

All of Nutrition Smart’s produce is organic.

Nutrition Smart Adds Divine Leaf Vegan For Its Health-Conscious Customers 

This is just a small sampling of the 100% organic produce sold at the Nutrition Smart store at 1821 BBD Blvd. in Wesley Chapel. (Photos by Charmaine George)

If you think the Wesley Chapel Nutrition Smart (located on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. just south of S.R. 56) is a store for vitamins and supplements, you’re not wrong. 

And, if you think that’s all the popular store carries, you’re not alone. 

But, if you’re one of those people who thinks Nutrition Smart is only a place where supplement fanatics stock up, you’re missing out on all that our area’s original “green grocer” has to offer. 

“A lot of people come in expecting just vitamins, but they’re impressed by what they see,” says Fausto Soriano, the store’s general manger. “That’s definitely a misconception.” 

Nutrition Smart offers fresh, organic produce, natural grocery items and refrigerated and frozen food, from dairy (including raw milk) and eggs to meat, bread and healthy snacks. 

Fausto says that many of the store’s customers do all of their grocery shopping in the store, which also includes the largest selection of supplements in the area, plus vitamins, bulk foods, sport nutrition, health and beauty items, pet care, household products and more. 

Fausto says it’s not on a huge scale like you would find at a large grocery store, but there is a little bit of everything, and Nutrition Smart offers something other stores don’t.

General manager Fausto Soriano checks out a customer at the register. 

“All of our fresh produce is 100% organic,” Fausto says. While other stores stock both organic and non-organic products that are sold right next to each other, at Nutrition Smart, “Our customers don’t have to worry about buying conventional products by mistake.” 

Fausto also says that at his store in particular, many people believe in an “eat first” philosophy where they make healthier food choices now instead of needing supplements later. 

Customers seem to like the store’s organic, fresh chicken and grass-fed beef, and get a wide variety of unique products at Nutrition Smart that aren’t available anywhere else. For example, he says, raw milk from a Florida dairy farm is extremely popular. 

“Every Tuesday, we get a fresh delivery of raw milk,” he says. “Customers line up waiting for the milk to arrive.” 

The store also is able to offer mom-and-pop brands from nearby vendors, too, including locally made raw honey. 

Local desserts are delivered fresh to the store from Dade City’s Hillbilly Farms Bakery. Tampa’s Sami’s Bakery delivers fresh breads, wraps, cookies and desserts every Thursday. Both bakeries offer specialty items such as low-carb and gluten- free desserts and bakery items. 

Other unique products include a variety of trending supplements, such as those derived from mushrooms and shilajit, a resin from the earth that reportedly can help with hormone balance and other functions. The store also carries a large variety of CBD products. 

Wesley Chapel Nutrition Smart stocks a huge selection of natural vitamins, supplements, CBD and beauty products…and more! (Below) You can’t beat Nutrition Smart’s selection of local, raw honey. 

Fausto adds that the Wesley Chapel location of Nutrition Smart is the number one store in the state of Florida for selling the energy drink Celsius. 

“We are known in the area for having a huge Celsius selection,” he says. “We have all the new flavors first, and the biggest variety of flavors, along with one of the most aggressive prices.” 

He says he and his staff, including assistant store manager Joe Geier, pay attention to trends in the industry to be sure they know what customers want. When vendors pitch new products to the store, they watch for commonalities. Many customers also read articles and often ask for certain new products or ingredients. 

Joe has been with the company for six years and was previously a vitamin manager. He and Fausto, who has been with Nutrition Smart for 15 years, are among about 24 store employees in the Wesley Chapel location. Definitely not a big chain, Nutrition Smart has just two other locations — in Port St. Lucie and Pembroke Pines. 

“Our vitamin staff is super knowledgeable,” says Fausto. “A lot of them have been doing this for 15 or 20 years. They focus on individualized service for each customer’s unique needs. We’re not just trying to sell a product. We want to hear what their needs are and hopefully gain their trust so they’ll come back in the future.” 

It’s a service they have been providing for 15 years now, since the Wesley Chapel location of Nutrition Smart opened in 2009. 

“We were the first in this area to provide these products,” Fausto says. “We’ve been here since before Wesley Chapel was a destination.” 

Introducing: Divine Leaf Vegan
 

If you like freshly-made vegan wrap sandwiches and fresh fruit smoothies, you have to visit the Divine Leaf Vegan counter at the Wesley Chapel Nutrition Smart 

Another hidden gem inside the Wesley Chapel Nutrition Smart is Divine Leaf Vegan, a new cafĂ© serving freshly-made burgers, sandwiches, salads, cold pressed juices, smoothies and more. 

“It’s been awesome to have them,” says Fausto. “There’s not a lot of vegan restaurants or options in our area, so it’s worked out well. I’m not vegan and I buy stuff from there all the time. They have a really good ranch sauce they make from scratch, and I buy a full-size bottle because my kids love it. It’s phenomenal.”

Fausto adds that the partnership is great because people who find out about Divine Leaf through its own social media often become Nutrition Smart customers as they discover the store, too. 

Making Health More Affordable 

Nutrition Smart offers many discounts and coupons, including a 20% -off coupon in this issue. In addition, active and veteran military members, first responders, nurses and teachers all receive 10 percent off their purchases all day, every day. On Tuesdays, seniors (ages 55 & older) also receive 10 percent off. Shoppers also can sign up for Nutrition Smart’s text club by texting “WESLEY” to (866) 603-3532 for exclusive offers. 

Pam T. is a Wesley Chapel Nutrition Smart shopper who recently wrote a review. “Love this little health food store,” she says. “It’s my go-to every week. With great rewards and coupons, the prices are not painful. I love that all the produce is organic. Great selection of most items I need on a week-to- week basis.” 

Nutrition Smart is located at 1821 BBD Blvd. It is open Monday–Saturday, 8 a.m.-9 p.m., and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit NutritionSmart.com, call the store at (813) 341-4444, or see the ad below for the coupon that will get you 20 percent off your purchase.Â