One of the latest vendors to arrive at the Midland Area Farmers Market is artisan ice pops maker Popsable.
But these aren’t your average ice pops found at the supermarket. U makes ice pops in the Mexican paleta-style, using only fresh ingredients and organic cane sugar. These are not just frozen sticks of flavored water; the ingredients, like their fresh strawberries, are washed and cut by hand.
Their core stable of flavors include blackberry-lemon, peach-jalapeno, buttermilk, and strawberry.
Popsable is the husband-and-wife team of Bryson and Anna Hotopp.
The business started off as somewhat of a whim after a trip down south in the spring of 2018.
"Owning my own business has never been a goal. I just like ice pops," says Anna, music director at Midland Nazarene.
"I went to school in Alabama and they’re a big thing down there. I took my husband for a visit and he tried them. When he told me he wanted to start a business I thought he was joking."
It turns out that he wasn’t. The Hotopps bought an ice pops mold and started experimenting with flavors in their home kitchen. The paperwork for Popsable was filed in April 2019 and artisan ice pops just made their public debut at the Midland Area Farmers Market in August 2019.
The Hotopps bootstrapped their business, saving money to help fund expenditures. They used a tax return to purchase a professional ice pops freezer, allowing them to make 1,000 ice pops an hour--if they can keep up.
"This machine makes ice pops faster than we can wash and cut the strawberries," Bryson says.
The Hotopps currently utilize their friends’ commercial kitchen at Apple Valley Orchard in Saginaw. Since that organization shuts down for the winter, the couple is yet unsure if they will too, or if they will find a different space for the cold weather months.
For now, Popsable ice pops can be found at the Midland Area Farmers Market throughout the season and can also be purchased online. Popsable also caters events.
Got a development news story to share? Email MJ Galbraith here or send him a tweet @mikegalbraith.
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