EAST STROUDSBURG, PA _ Julio Amenero and Celia Elizabelar of East Stroudsburg have bought the 3,000-square foot building at 2550 Milford Road in East Stroudsburg to expand their artisanal ice cream manufacturing business. Jeff Barber of Lehigh Financial Group LLC in Allentown arranged the financing that enabled the Latino husband-and-wife owners to purchase the building and convert it to a manufacturing plant. They hope to have their new manufacturing site up and running by late summer, early fall.

Julio and Celia  opened Llama Ice Cream at 266 River Road in East Stroudsburg in 2017 where they serve homemade ice cream with Latino flare. Flavors include pina colada, passionfruit, pistachio, lucuma, soursop, and mamey. They also have a retail location inside the food court of the Stroud Mall. 

Demand for their ice cream had been strong despite the pandemic, Celia said. Celia, a native of Argentina, said they could either turn away customers or expand manufacturing and chose to expand. The manufacturing plant will enable them to continue to supply wholesalers that sell to supermarkets. Once they found the appropriate site, it was an easy decision, Celia said.

Her husband was familiar with the property they bought having driven by it many times and believed it will be easily converted to fit their needs. They will continue to operate their shops on River Road and in the mall as well as in Rockaway, N.J. They will expand the staff by at least one once they open the manufacturing plant.

Julio is a native of Peru and named his ice cream shop after llamas, which, he said, are distinctive animals and reminiscent of his upbringing in Peru.

Barber said the couple are “hard workers” and has no doubt that their expanded venture will succeed. “They never gave up finding the right location to expand their business,” Barber said.

Lehigh Financial Group, LLC is a leading source of innovative real estate capital solutions and financing options for commercial customers. The company, based in Allentown, serves the Lehigh Valley region and beyond by providing capital for businesses and investors locally, regionally and nationwide. For more information on Lehigh Financial Group LLC, please see our website at http://www.lehighfinancialgroup.com.

 

Information provided to TVL by Beth Orenstein on behalf of:
Lehigh Financial Group, LLC
122 North 5th Street
Allentown Pa 18102
http://www.lehighfinancialgroup.com/