Food

A Popsicle is an indulgence. It’s also a startup success story, if you can believe it. Dream Pops are plant-based, non-dairy, gluten and soy free. And they apparently taste as good as ice cream and look good on Instagram.

They’re not cheap, at least in bulk. A tray of 10, shipped frozen to your doorstep in a couple of days, will set you back $45. But if you can find one at a Starbucks, and you’re in Los Angeles or Portland, Oregon, the price is a little more palpable at $3.95 each.

These don’t look like regular Popsicles (a trademark for flavored ice frozen around a stick). Dream Pops are a proprietary shape that comes from a 3-D printed mold. Besides lacking dairy, gluten and soy, they’re also said to be free of artificial flavors, dyes, gum and corn syrup. What’s left? Each pop is less than 100 calories, sweetened with coconut blossom sugar and blended with lush ingredients. And the flavors — with names like Chocolate Lion, Berry Dreams, Mango Rosemary, Coconut Latte and Vanilla Matcha — are a little more advanced than what you might find in the frozen food section of your local supermarket.

The Dream Pops team includes two Davids. They’re CEO and Cofounder David Greenfeld, a former investment banking associate, and “Chief Pop Hustler” and CoFounder David Cohen, previously a business development associate for Los Angeles’ first bagel truck.

Greenfeld says he was intrigued by paletas stands during a trip to Cartagena, Colombia, and also trying to curb an appetite for late night pints of ice cream “with terrible ingredients.”

“We mainly took inspiration from the pressed juice market and wondered why the same model couldn’t be applied to frozen novelties and plant-based ice cream,” Greenfeld said in an email. “I called my close friend and cofounder David Cohen who had experience in the food space working for a company called Yeastie Boys Bagels (as I had no knowledge nor experience operating food companies) and we began iterating and toying around with the idea of healthy popsicles.”

The pops were created by Michelin-starred chef Juan Amador and food scientist David Marx.

As noted by Entrepreneur, Dream Pops projects it will generate $500,000 in revenue by year’s end, and they’d done it largely without selling to consumers. They’ve gone business-to-business instead, partnering with big brands like Beats by Dre (for a Coachella party) and earning up to $50,000 per event. It makes sense: Try the treat of the elite!

The company compares the taste of these ‘sicles to ice cream.

“We have heard people say Dream Pops taste as good as they are pretty,” Greenfeld says. “They are creamy and rich-tasting, much like traditional dairy ice cream, but they are 100% plant-based.  Thanks to the creamy tapioca and rich coconut milk, and our other real ingredients they’re vegan-approved but not just for vegans.”

What do you think about these? Delicious on their own and maybe perfect as gifts?

Greenfeld says online orders have been pouring in since Dream Pops went nationwide on July 15, National Ice Cream Day. “We are on track to double our sales in 2018 and e-commerce is experiencing strong month-over-month growth,” he said.

In case you’re worried about the carbon footprint of a $45 tray, the company uses a green packaging company for cold shipping called vericool.

These have gone nationwide at a good time, as Instragram-y items are in demand. NBC recently reported on “Instagram playgrounds” popping in U.S. cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. #dreampops


Link to this article : https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkart/2018/08/21/taste-this-startup-elite-dream-pops-now-available-nationwide/#6e9296db7e15

Food

Dream Pops, the two-year-old makers of uniquely shaped plant-based popsicles, projects that at the end of this year, it will generate around $500,000 in revenue — and remarkably has done so without selling, for the most part, to consumers.

Rather, the company has pursued a B2B strategy, and has already partnered with big brands, including Beats by Dre, Starbucks, Patron, Diane von Furstenberg and Bumble. Dream Pops has eschewed the typical route of consumer-packaged goods, which involves selling products in local stores before slowly gaining a footprint with more retailers.

 

“We realized that if we just packaged the product and slotted it in Whole Foods — we would die a slow [consumer packaged goods] death,” says David Greenfeld, co-founder and CEO of Dream Pops.

Instead, Greenfeld’s team utilized 3D printing to create custom molds and shapes as well as new flavors for its business clients.

“With millennials paying for experiences over tangible things, we figured there might be a way to develop branded moments and experiences that centered around something all people love — ice cream — and generate revenue doing it to keep the business running,” Greenfeld says. “We were effectively an outsourced food R&D lab that allowed select brands to reach their customers through something as intimate as food.”

The company, which is partially self-funded and has the backing of angel investors, successfully pitched this concept to Beats by Dre, its first client. Dream Pops created treats shaped like the Beats logo that the Apple subsidiary then served at a Coachella party.

 

It then used this success to tailor its pitches to other brands with the message of “food as an advertising vehicle for shared experiences.” Dream Pops sold itself as “a purveyor of branded moments and experiences and a new way to engage customers in real life,” Greenfeld says.

Of course, a side benefit to this business — aside from earning $5,000 to $50,000 for each event — is that consumers at these events become more aware of the brand. As of July, the company released its popsicles to consumers and started selling packs of 10 on its website for $45.

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Those plant-based frozen treats you’re seeing all over Instagram are in fact just as delicious as they are pretty. We taste-tested vegan-friendly Dream Pops at POPSUGAR’s San Francisco office, and surprisingly, no one gave a rating less than a four or five (out of five). Both vegans and non-vegans gave the thumbs up for each of the three flavors we tried: Chocolate Lion, Berry Dreams, and Coconut Latte.

Each coconut-milk-based pop is under 100 calories and free of dairy, gluten, soy, and artificial additives. And if the no-dairy part is turning any of you hardcore ice-cream-lovers off, I can honestly say that Dream Pops are creamy and rich enough to make you forget all about milk.

So, what makes these so special? For one, the health-centered company partnered with a three-star Michelin chef and sourced quality ingredients to make its treats clean yet tasty. But these aren’t good for vegan ice cream pops — they’re good. Period.

See how we rated each flavor ahead!

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Dream Pops, a vegan ice cream popsicle featuring fruit and a striking polyhedron design thanks to a 3D-printed mold, has been declared the “it” dessert of summer 2018 by New York City-based magazine, Gotham. The trendy, nondairy ice cream has been creating a buzz since it landed in select Los Angeles Starbucks in early July.

What Makes Dream Pops So Appealing To Consumers?

“Ice cream has officially been brought into the future. Say goodbye to that boring old cone and get yourself a Dream Pop—this summer’s undeniable it-dessert and Instagram darling,” writes Gotham author Christina Najjar. “Not only do these insanely cute treats look fabulous on your feed, they’re also guilt free. No seriously, all Dream Pops are 100 percent plant-based, made from rich coconut milk, coconut blossom sugar, creamy tapioca, pure vanilla bean, and sea salt. No dairy, no problem!”

Gotham isn’t alone in picking up on the fact that vegan Dream Pops are not only eye-catching but catering to the rising demand for plant-based products and the millennial love of Insta-worthy food. Online lifestyle publication, POPSUGAR praised both the Los Angeles-based brand’s sharp, geometric design and flavor, stating that despite being dairy-free, “Dream Pops are creamy and rich enough to make you forget all about milk.” Refinery29  called them“stylish” and “trendy,” and a “fashionable older sister of your favorite childhood ice pops.” Tasting Table, an online publication focused on food and food culture, said that the vegan ice cream pops are in “a class of their own.” Google and Buzzfeed have also pinpointed Dream Pops as something different from the usual nondairy ice cream.

With a selection of six flavors featuring superfood-rich flavor combinations like passionfruit and jackfruit, chocolate and adaptogenic lion’s mane mushroom, vanilla matcha, and more, the dairy-free ice cream pops are also catering to those seeking food with benefits, a top trend identified by many experts. But Dream Pop’s appeal as the dessert of the summer may go beyond superfoods.

Apart from the chic design, Dream Pops have targetted another rising consumer trend: the demand for dairy alternatives. Recent data shows that the global dairy alternatives market, including vegan milk, ice cream, and yogurt raked in $9.8 billion in 2017 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.4 percent up until 2025. Research released by data firm Innova Market Insights last November shows that vegan products made up 40 percent of new “dairy” launches over a five-year-period, driven by rising interest in health and plant-based food.

The vegan ice cream category is estimated to reach a $2.45 billion market value by 2027. Investors are responding, aiming to capture the burgeoning market. Austin-based, family-owned vegan ice cream brand NadaMoo! not only increased revenue six-fold in two years, but also secured a $4 million investment led by Canadian sustainable investment firm, InvestEco in order to develop new products and expand distribution. Traditional dairy-based ice cream brands such as Ben & Jerry’s, Haagen-Dazs and the cult-favorite low-calorie Halo Top, are also aiming to capitalize on the popularity of nondairy ice cream.

While Dream Pops was available only at select Starbucks and online for a limited delivery range, the better-for-you brand, which aims to be “the Willy Wonka of plant-based confections,” recently became available for nationwide shipping – a sign of the company’s fast growth and consumer appeal.

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Ice cream has officially been brought into the future. Say goodbye to that boring old cone and get yourself a Dream Pop—this summer’s undeniable it-dessert and Instagram darling. Not only do these insanely cute treats look fabulous on your feed, they’re also guilt free. No seriously, all Dream Pops are 100 percent plant-based, made from rich coconut milk, coconut blossom sugar, creamy tapioca, pure vanilla bean, and sea salt. No dairy, no problem!






The innovative company is aiming to be “the Willy Wonka of plant-based indulgences” and it’s not hard to see why. The pops are the first of their kind—the molds are actually 3D printed via proprietary technology. Dream Pops also worked with a three-star Michelin chef to develop the mouth-watering flavors like Vanilla Matcha (ceremonial grade matcha, vanilla bean), Chocolate Lion (chocolate, Lion’s Mane mushroom) and even Passion Jacky (jackfruit, passionfruit) which is a limited-edition flavor in collaboration with Bumble.





The Instagram-worthy treats just launched in Starbucks in Los Angeles and Portland and are also now available nationwide with free two-day shipping at dreampops.com. Be the most popular person at the barbecue this summer and don’t show up without a case of Dream Pops!

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During an annual shareholders meeting in March, Starbucks chief operations officer Rosalind Brewer hinted at the chain’s plans to expand vegan and plant-based menu options. Though, at the time, Starbucks was tight-lipped about the exact vegan products it would introduce, a Starbucks representative did tell Refinery29 via email, “We are definitely aware of our customers’ interest and enthusiasm for more plant-based products.” Now, those vague vegan plans are beginning to come to fruition — at select locations, at least. Yesterday, several Starbucks stores in Los Angeles began offering Dream Pops, vegan ice cream treats that have been celebrated for their stylish designs and trendy flavors.

According to a recent series of stories posted on the Dream Pops Instagram, the plant-based pops became available at five different Starbucks location around L.A. yesterday. Dream Pops are like the fashionable older sister of your favorite childhood ice pops, which means they’re perfect for cooling off on a hot summer day. Los Angeles customers will be able to snack on them through October 5. The Dream Pops are available in four flavors, Berry Dreams, Chocolate Lion, Vanilla Matcha, and Coconut Latte, which is made with Starbucks arabica Coffee from Guatemala Antigua. The pops are being sold for $3.95 each.

Today, a Starbucks representative told Refinery29 via email, “As a company, Starbucks often tests products to gather feedback from our customers and partners. As part of our commitment to bring our customers a wide variety of innovative packaged food, snacks, and treats, Starbucks is currently testing Dream Pops in five locations in Los Angeles. We’re looking forward to learning more, but do not have additional information to share on future availability of these products in our stores.”

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LIVERMORE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Vericool, makers of Vericoolers^®, the only high-performing, cost-effective, compostable insulation and recyclable cold-chain packaging, today announced a multi-year sustainable packaging partnership with Dream Pops, makers of a vegan, superfood, gluten-free frozen treat. Shipments of Dream Pops in Vericool’s Vericooler^® I began on May 10, 2018.

“Dream Pops’ products are uniquely flavored, delicious and healthy, and by using Vericoolers, the Dream Pops team is boosting their health-conscious profile—for people and for the environment.”

“Vericool is thrilled to announce our sustainable packaging partnership with Dream Pops, a company that shares our passion for conscientious consumer innovation,” said Darrell Jobe, founder and CEO of Vericool. “Dream Pops’ products are uniquely flavored, delicious and healthy, and by using Vericoolers, the Dream Pops team is boosting their health-conscious profile—for people and for the environment.”

Dream Pops were inspired by company CEO and co-founder David Greenfeld’s visit to Colombia, where he noticed the prevalence and popularity of paletas—colorful popsicles available for purchase on the street. Today, Dream Pops creates and ships futuristic, plant-based, superfood pops in a variety of flavors, including Coconut Latte, Mango Rosemary, Vanilla Matcha, and Berry Dreams, with more flavors launching this summer. Dream Pops ensures the quality of their product by partnering with a three-star Michelin chef, by sourcing the highest-quality ingredients, and by using only the best state-of-the-art equipment.

“As one of the first direct-to-consumer frozen confection companies in the world, our mission at Dream Pops is to bring plant-based indulgence and innovation to the home, one doorstep at a time—Vericool makes that possible with their innovative sustainable packaging. Our Vericooler boxes are 100% compostable. Sayonara, Styrofoam!” said David Greenfeld, CEO and co-founder of Dream Pops.

The Vericooler I is proven to keep food products, including frozen proteins and ice creams, cold from packaging to receipt, while also reducing landfill waste. This innovative packaging is made from post-consumer materials, and is designed to minimize edge loss, thereby increasing temperature control, which is particularly important in cold-chain shipping. The Vericooler I meets US ASTM D6400 and Home Compost Standards; when the compostable insulation pillow is removed, the Vericooler can then be placed in curbside recycling, where it is available.

Vericoolers are not just a product, they are a second chance movement—a very cool way to improve the health and well-being of people and our planet through packaging.

To learn more about Vericool and the company’s Vericooler I, visit the company’s YouTube channel or website: www.vericoolpackaging.com.

To learn more about Dream Pops, visit https://dreampops.com/.

About Vericool, Inc.

Based in Livermore, Calif., Vericool delivers sustainable packaging that protects products, people and the planet. Made from renewable and post-consumer materials and compostable insulation that meet US ASTM D6400 and home compost standard, Vericoolers® are the safest replacement for EPS (commonly referred to as Styrofoam®). Patented and patent-pending Vericoolers are cost-effective and reliable, ensuring that food, medicines and other temperature sensitive products stay cool from packaging to receipt. Customizable and high-performing, Vericoolers can perform to customer-defined ASTM and ISTA standards. Vericool is all about delivering second chances for people and companies to do the right thing for the planet. Those that get it—Vericooler it.