TAMPA, Fla. — A Naples based wholesale restaurant supply company, ReRoute Americas, which only offers sustainable products, began expanding into the Tampa Bay area earlier this year and has found receptive clients along the beaches in Pinellas County, according to CEO Patrick Bishop.

What You Need To Know

  • ReRoute Americas opened warehouse in Tampa

  • The wholesale restaurant supply company offers only sustainable products

  • Three St. Pete Beach hotels have signed up with the new company

  • The Golden Globes exclusively used agave straws from ReRoute Americas

“When we decided to open the Tampa market, St. Pete and the beaches were the ideal opportunity,” he said. “Water based towns and communities are a lot more open and receptive to sustainable type of items.”

Bishop said ReRoute started off last year selling agave straws and has since expanded to offer more than 150 products.

Some of those eco-friendly products include what looks and feels like a Styrofoam cup that naturally biodegrades within 3 to 5 years, “to go” boxes made from the byproduct of sugar cane and a plastic bag that will break down much faster than traditional ones, according to Bishop.

“The average life of plastic in a landfill is going to be 200 to 500 years,” he said. “With this (bag) it’s reduced to less than 9 years.”

Bishop said his best sellers are the straws and cutlery made from the agave plant.

“This (straw) will last if left in water for 9-to-10 days before it ever starts to break down,” he said. “Paper straw, while the intent is very good, that will break down during its first drink.”

Several years ago, a college student won an award for figuring out how to use agave plant bio strands to make straws, according to Bishop. The Florida businesses man said he tracked down the inventors of the Green Print marina straws.

“It was two young guys out of Mexico. One went to USC, the other went SMU and they have this straw concept,” he said. “I flew to San Diego in the middle of the night. Sat down with them. They had no distribution and they had no sales team. So, we kind of concocted an idea. Let’s create a partnership.”

In January, the Golden Globes exclusively used the agave straws and Bishop said it was a proud papa bear moment.

“You’re actually seeing your straws and all the celebrities drinking from them… it was a nice little accomplishment for us,” he said. “They pretty much committed that we’ll be at the Golden Globes again next year too.”  

Meanwhile, this past January, Bishop opened a warehouse in Tampa and said he has secured the Vinoy in St. Petersburg, along with the Bellwether Beach Resort, Post Card Inn and Beachcomber hotels in St. Pete Beach as new clients.

“Naturally, they’re going to be open to our presentation and to our products,” said Bishop. “When they see our pricing, that’s what convinces them to make the switch-over.”

ReRoute also has warehouses in Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale-Miami, Naples along with their Ft. Myers location, which was destroyed by Hurricane Ian last September, according to Bishop.

“We lost about 40 percent of our business because of Hurricane Ian. We had all of Ft. Myers Beach, Sanibel, Captiva,” he said. “As a guy who sold his house, with his wife and his kids to put the money into the business, it was a little nerve racking.”

Even with the devastating loss, Bishop said the company has been generating revenue for 18 months and has done about $1.7 million in sales. ReRoute also has warehouses in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Diego. Bishop said he got the idea to start the company when the pandemic caused supply chain problems.

“Set me on a mission to find a better way. What I was able to find is that there are sustainable alternatives for almost every ‘to-go’ product for restaurants and hotels,” he said. “I broached the idea with restaurant owners, who were very open and receptive to sustainable alternatives, especially if there were no logistics problems.”

“The company was born when we bought our first truckload of Agave straws.”

Bishop said as ReRoute continues to expand in the Bay area, they’ll be looking to hire more employees.

“We’re going to look for local people to come work for us and join our team. Whether you have sales experience or not,” he said. “If you’re passionate about sustainability, you’re passionate about making the planet a little bit better, if you have that passion, we can teach you everything else.”

The ReRoute CEO said the goal is not just to sell and distribute but also to educate.

“The overall sense we get from the general Tampa, Clearwater and St. Pete area, they’re very open and they want a commitment to change,” he said. “It’s what can we do to make our beaches and our city better and cleaner.”