Orangeberry, Croton
Photo credit: Neal Rentz
Croton resident Robert Szpiczynski explained why his family-business in the village is called by the atypical name of Orangeberry.
“We’d been thinking of about something that would reflect frozen yogurt and some fruits and some healthy stuff,” he said. “Combining the two fruits was the idea.”
Orangeberry, which is open every day, has been owned by the Szpiczynski family since 2012. The Croton location was chosen because that is where the family resides, Szpiczynski said.
Szpiczynski said one of the reasons he wanted to open Orangeberry was to provide experience for his children working in the family business.
Aside from the Croton and Ossining areas, some of his customers come from New York City who visit local tourist sites. “They see us on the Internet,” he said.
The business offers 10 frozen yogurt flavors, as well as two types of ice cream. Customers pay per ounce for the ice cream and yogurt and they choose from several toppings including candy, fruit, cookies, nuts, sprinkles, and syrups. The store offers several varieties of smoothies including Strawberry Explosion and Pineapple Paradise and they all have no artificial flavors or colors. “This is natural, pure food,” Szpiczynski said.
Orangeberry also sells both sweet and savory crepes. The most popular sweet crepe is banana with Nutella and the top savory crepe fillings include mushroom, ham, cheese and spinach, Szpiczynski noted.
Summer is a particularly popular time for his store’s frozen yogurt, ice cream and smoothies, Szpiczynski said.
A variety of tea and coffee drinks are also served at Orangeberry, as well as milkshakes and other beverages.
This is not the first business the family has owned. It formerly owned a deli in Queens, Szpiczynski said.
Szpiczynski explained why his business has been so successful. “Everything is fresh” and his eatery is clean, he said. “People like it. You go to some places and you have stuff all over. Over here is neat and clean,” he said.
“There are plus and minuses” to owning a business, Szpiczynski said. “You’re kind of anchored to the business. It’s very difficult to go somewhere for a long period of time.”
But, he added a positive aspect to owning your own business is knowing “this is yours.”
Orangeberry is located at 124 Grand St. in Croton. For more information, call 914- 271-0821 or visit http://www.orangeberryny.com/. Orangeberry is also on Facebook and Twitter.
