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Lumpia City founders Samantha Klimaszewski (left) and Alexa Reyes.[/caption]
Lumpia City has outgrown its current footprint in the city of Milwaukee. Founders
Samantha Klimaszewski and
Alexa Reyes announced this week the food manufacturing company is relocating to Waterford, moving out of a shared kitchen space on North Jefferson Street in downtown Milwaukee. Lumpia City will now be headquartered at 315 N. Milwaukee St. in Waterford.
Founded in 2015, Lumpia City is best known for its modern take on the traditional Filipino food lumpia, serving up unique flavors like Korean beef and chicken enchilada. The company has grown from a humble pop-up to producing approximately 8,000 to 10,000 units a month. Lumpia City also has a stand at Fiserv Forum and is a well-known presence within the local food truck scene.
Klimaszewski and Reyes are leasing space in the Waterford building and are ordering the manufacturing equipment needed to fill the new space. There isn’t a clear grand opening date set yet as they focus on renovating the space.
“We felt there was an additional step needed before buying a building, so we settled on leasing,” said Klimaszewski. “There had just happened to be this space for lease in Waterford, which is super close to where we live. It almost just seemed too perfect and the rent was considerably less than what we were seeing in Milwaukee. I think that was what was holding us back.”
Klimaszewski and Reyes told BizTimes Media
in March they were looking for their own space as a next step toward becoming more of a wholesale company. Their new building will give them more manufacturing space.
“We’re looking to expand the production space in the building and have a smaller dining area,” said Klimaszewski. “We’re trying to do production plus to-go orders. There are some retail opportunities.”
As the company continues to grow, so will the different kinds of lumpia it offers. Reyes is hoping to add a more traditional lumpia to the businesses’ lineup, as well as vegan and vegetarian options.
“We were realizing once we got out of the Milwaukee area and were attending a lot of larger events, a lot of people were asking about (new flavors), so we want to make sure we’re giving people what they want,” said Klimaszewski.
Lumpia City products are also currently found in all full-service Sendik’s Food Market stores and at Festival Foods locations in West Allis, Greenfield and Hales Corners.
