It’s happening again! Coming in 2019, yet another New York City business says farewell to the Big Apple in favor of Hudson Valley living.
This time around, the company is Brooklyn-based crepe maker Crepini. The family business has been around since 2007, when it introduced the Naked Crepe, an all-natural wrap that fuses French crepes with Russian blinis. Since then, it has gone on to launch a number of spin-offs, including its signature Egg White Thins, the prepackaged protein egg white wraps that also come in a gluten-free version.
The location for Crepini’s new headquarters, then, is none other than iPark, the fast-expanding food and tech community in East Fishkill. Since we first reported on it, the former IBM campus has welcomed Hudson Valley favorite Sloop Brewing Co. and signed Beacon’s More Good syrup and Cozzini Brothers knives.
While 2019 marks the big move for Crepini, the relocation plan has been in the works for close to a year now.
“We decided we needed to move early 2018…because we basically reached our capacity in our current facility in Brooklyn,” explains Lisa Shkolnik, Crepini’s marketing officer. “Moving our factory will more than triple our capacity.”
Empires State Development (ESD) President, CEO, and Commissioner Howard Zemsky also supports the move. “We are excited to see Crepini move into new and improved space in the former IBM campus in East Fishkill. ESD is proud to revitalize existing facilities and help New York companies expand in the Mid-Hudson region and throughout the state.”
As for how the bread-alternative brand settled on the Hudson Valley, it all came down to a love for the region.
“We lived in the Hudson Valley for many years and have yearned to go back,” Shkolnik enthuses. “It also is home to many foodies, culinary institutions, and a clean supply of commodities – like water – [which help us to] stay true to our core values and to be able to employ local people who have similar interests and experience.”
Once inside iPark, Crepini will be located in the former IBM clean room, a space that is already primed for manufacturing needs. The move from Brooklyn to the Hudson Valley will begin this summer, with an estimated completion date of September 2019. At that point, Crepini can continue to hone its reputation for versatile bread-alternative products.
“In our new facility, we will be able to create a separation which will allow us to produce gluten-free and allergen-free products,” Shkolnik notes. “This is huge for us!”
Looking ahead, Crepini is excited to move the family business (and the family) upstate.
“Between moving our personal lives, moving our factory, hiring a lot of new people, and new programs in new retailers set to start around the time of our move, we are going to be very busy,” she says. In addition to all that, the brand also prepares to launch new grain-less, egg-based wraps with veggie and fruit inclusions. While the products are still in testing phase, Crepini looks forward to adding the healthy staples to its core roster of products in the coming months.
Related: Sloop Brewing Opens in East Fishkill’s Old IBM Campus
