Two Bethlehem startups, Mezzimatic LLC and Almas Foods International, recently found new office space in Pi: Partnership for Innovation, a business incubator housed in a former blouse factory in South Bethlehem.
Mezzimatic will use the space for sales and marketing for the company’s main product, Goblies Throwable Paintball and Play Paint.
Almas Foods will use the space for offices, research and development, and some assembly, said Ali Almasi, founder of Almas Foods.
The addition of the two companies brings the Pi building to 100 percent occupancy, said Asher Schiavone, economic development coordinator for the city of Bethlehem. The building is managed by the Bethlehem Economic Development Corp., a private nonprofit.
Tenants benefit from access to shared spaces and a lease that includes all utilities, said Schiavone said. They also qualify for tax incentives through the Southside Bethlehem Keystone Innovation Zone program, also managed by the Bethlehem Economic Development Corp.
Almasi and and Brianna Gardell, founder of Mezzimatic, started their companies at SoBeWorks, a privately owned co-working site in another section of South Bethlehem.
Almasi said he moved mainly because he was looking for more space for his business, which has grown steadily since it was founded in February 2017. Revenue rose from $10,000 in 2017 to $94,000 in 2018. He is hoping to reach $150,000 this year.
His company makes a variety of products from saffron, a spice often used in Middle Eastern cooking. The products include saffron powders, saffron-infused vinegar, honey, face cream and lemonade.
“Some of the saffron products we assemble here,” Almasi said. “We ship from there as well, mostly to Amazon.”
The products also are available at Green Earth Natural Foods in Emmaus and Goosey Gander Caterer & Deli on Fourth Street in Bethlehem, he said.