Today we’d like to introduce you to Rodolfo Ripepi.
Hi Rodolfo, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Me, my wife and my son, 12 at the time came to Florida four years ago from Margarita Island, Venezuela. The most beautiful place on earth, it’s a small island in the Caribbean located northeast to Venezuela. I used to have vocational rental apartments right next to beach. It was very profitable for a very long time up until the pandemic. We decided to return to the island for business reasons about three months before the pandemic hit. We were stuck all year because of it. Since I had nothing else to do around the house, I decided, like some many of us, to pursue an old passion of mine, baking, specifically French baking. My brother-in-law owns a French bakery in Tenerife, Spain when we were living there prior to Venezuela and for years I worked alongside him at the shop, he awakened my passion for French pastry. It all started giving away pastry’ to friends and family during the lockout. Then one day a friend of mine that owns a coffee shop tried my croissants and liked them so much that he want it to buy from me in bulks. That was great and gave me the confidence to invest a little bit to see how it went. However, because of the economic situation and the pandemic, we decided to return to the states. We did so this past December and right away, we started working on the business idea of opening a French bakery. After three months or so we rented a commissary kitchen four days a week and we now have a customer base that even though it is still very small, I would have not even imagined just a year ago We would have. Let alone doing this for a living. It is very hard work and we have a long way to go to be where We want to be at with this business, but we take it one day at a time, right? We love it so much though! People love our pastry and the gratitude they express to us is motivation enough to keep on going!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh yes, it has been a struggle for sure! We don’t know anybody here. The most difficult thing so far is to find the right clientele we need. However, we embraced the uncertainty and we have invested our time and money on this and we believe in it so much that we are sure it’s going to work!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Croissant Station LLC?
We are an Artisan French Bakery that specializes in puff pastry. We use only the best ingredients in our baking, like for example we bake exclusively with French butter all our products., however our prices are competitive. We believe we make the best butter croissant in town! Our star pastry, Palmier Cookies, also called elephant ears. For those who are not familiar of what are those, they are butterfly shaped cookies, chunky and sweet on top, yet gooey and moist in the inside. They’re delicious! We’re a start-up bakery that works from a rented kitchen that offers and distribute our products to coffee shop and the likes, as well as anyone who wants to try our delicious goodies! We’re located and deliver for free in Lake Nona.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
That our croissants take three days to make. It’s a process that ensures the characteristic delicate flavor that only a long fermentation gives to the dough.
Contact Info:
- Email: croissantstation@gmail.com
- Instagram: @croissantstation
- Facebook: CroissantStationFl
