BRADENTON – Palmetto Canning Co. Inc., a long-time Bradenton Area business, is expanding its Palmetto warehouse to serve its growing, private-label food packaging service. Founded in 1927 in Palmetto, the company has been in its current location on U.S. 41 since 1945. With the expansion, the existing 35,000-square-foot facility will grow by 10,000 square feet of warehouse space for Palmetto Canning’s private-label condiments and jellies. The business also packages for brands such as Goya.

An early photo of Palmetto Canning's Operation. Photo: Manatte County Historical Archive

“Inexpensive outbound freight costs to the Northeast and Midwest, combined with an ample labor pool, allow us to continue growing our footprint in the Bradenton Area where the company was born,” said Jonathan Greenlaw, president of Palmetto Canning Co. “Our private-label food business is growing, and we need to store more supplies and finished product on our Palmetto campus.”

Palmetto Canning currently transports finished private-label products to leased warehouse space in Lakeland. The company also has a 52,000-square-foot facility in Seffner that is near capacity. Although the name of the business harks back to the original canning process, today the company packages products in glass and plastic. Palmetto Canning turns out approximately 10 million bottles annually at the Palmetto and Seffner locations.

“Originally known for making guava jelly, Palmetto Canning is a legacy business in the Bradenton Area that has continued to grow by adopting new technologies and diversifying its products and services,” said Sharon Hillstrom, president and chief executive officer of the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corp., whose organization assisted the company in successfully applying for Manatee County Government’s rapid response permitting program.

“Manatee County Government has been tremendously responsive, including sending key employees to our facility to see how they could help expedite our expansion,” Greenlaw said. “The message to growing businesses is clear: Manatee County is open for business.”

A list of Manatee County's economic development incentives is available here.

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