Palmetto Superfoods, a Bay Area açaí chain, is listed as coming soon to Montgomery Village in Santa Rosa. The customizable bowl and smoothie concept appears in the shopping center's tenant directory.
The listing was also reported by WhatNow. Palmetto serves Brazilian açaí bowls and smoothies with multiple base and topping options. The Santa Rosa shop would extend the chain's Bay Area footprint, although the tenant listing does not provide an opening date.
Palmetto says its concept grew from founder Charles Lee's connection with Cafe de Casa and its owners, sisters Thaís and Amanda Moreira. The company identifies Lee and Hessam Shirmohammadi as co-founders alongside the Moreira sisters, who own San Francisco's Cafe de Casa, according to Palmetto's account.
From an Inner Richmond Storefront to Regional Chain
Palmetto Superfoods opened its first location in San Francisco's Inner Richmond neighborhood in 2019 and has since expanded to multiple locations throughout the Bay Area. Recent outposts include Burlingame, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Walnut Creek, San Jose, Corte Madera, Livermore, Los Gatos, and Fremont, according to Patch. The chain has also signaled plans to expand beyond the Bay Area in the years ahead, with future expansion mentioned at the state and international levels, as well as a planned San Ramon location.
Transit and Active-Transportation Connections
Montgomery Village is also tied to Santa Rosa's broader transportation network. According to the City of Santa Rosa, the Sonoma Avenue project includes new sidewalks, pedestrian-ramp upgrades, bus-stop improvements and a dedicated bus-and-bike lane; during construction, the Montgomery Village Transit Hub is temporarily being relocated to Montgomery Drive. The city's Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan identifies shifting trips from single-occupancy vehicles toward walking and bicycling as a central goal.
Palmetto has continued adding smaller-format locations, including an Old Town Los Gatos shop that opened in a former Boba Guys space, according to Hoodline. The company has also experimented with an automated smoothie and açaí kiosk at San Francisco's Metreon.
Montgomery Village's Ongoing Makeover
Montgomery Village is a 280,000-square-foot open-air shopping center built in 1950 by Santa Rosa developer Hugh Codding. The property remained in the founding family's hands for more than 70 years before Boston-based WS Development bought it for $93 million in June 2021, according to Montgomery Village.
Since the acquisition, the property has undergone infrastructure and amenity work, including landscaping, roof repairs, paint, parking resurfacing, outdoor gathering areas, furniture and Wi-Fi. The center has also continued adding food, retail and lifestyle tenants.
A Steady Stream of New Openings
Palmetto's arrival would follow a string of recent changes at the center. Shake Shack is among the center's tenants — a trend Hoodline previously chronicled in Santa Rosa's beer scene heating up.
The Montgomery Village listing puts açaí bowls at the center of the proposed offering. Palmetto lists a small bowl at under about $10, with customers able to choose among its bowl and smoothie ingredients.
That offering arrives as demand for açaí and other plant-based foods grows. The açaí berry market was estimated at between $1.23 billion and $1.38 billion in 2025 and 2026, with forecasts projecting growth to $3.47 billion by 2034, according to Market Data Forecast. The Montgomery Village listing does not yet identify an opening date or staffing plans.
