Have you ever thought of sprinkling a few chocolate chips on an avocado or perhaps a little black pepper on a plum?
If you haven’t possessed that inkling Liz and Maggie Pryor have done it for you in the form of Chill Pops, a frozen fruit treat first marketed in Cleveland and now sold in stores throughout the U.S.
Liz, who grew up in Euclid and graduated from Hawken School in Gates Mills, along with her partner Maggie, hatched the idea for the healthy, all-natural popsicle in 2013 after experimenting with ingredients in their grandmother’s kitchen.
The pair first peddled Chill Pops at local markets and the Cleveland Flea where Liz says the hot items often sold out.
The following year they moved into their own production space in Cleveland and worked on designing packaging in order to wholesale to retail accounts.
By 2015 the businesswomen had an opportunity to pitch their cool creation to Whole Foods Market, hoping to snag a spot in their Cleveland-based stores.
Their expectations were exceeded when the market executives decided to launch Chill Pops as a regional brand.
“It was a pretty incredible experience, and not the typical path for getting on to shelves,” Liz said.
Soon after, several flavors were being sold not only at Whole Foods but at Heinen’s, Giant Eagle Market Districts and multiple stores nationwide.
With sales still going strong Liz recently noted that “while this may seem a bit cliche it seems that what we accomplished to this point is mostly attributed to the fact that we have an incredible product.”
She explained that with whole fruit as the first and foremost ingredient it’s simpler to keep the treat healthy by adding less sugar and more fiber while not relying on water or juice concentrates. The icy edible never contains artificial sweeteners, corn syrups, toxic dyes or other unnatural ingredients.
“Chill Pops tend to over deliver and surprise people once they try them…whether it’s the quality and texture, the whole fruit and no flavorings, or less conventional combinations,” Liz said. “It’s a mature, sophisticated spin on our collective nostalgia for Popsicles.
“We also worked to make the product accessible to those with certain food allergies or restrictions by having a lineup that is mostly dairy-free and also gluten-free, soy-free and non-GMO.”
The idea developed through the couple’s focus on healthy lifestyles as well as their status as self-proclaimed “foodies.”
Liz previously worked as a holistic health coach after studying with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition based in New York. Maggie still serves as a respiratory therapist at University Hospitals and also holds a master’s degree in health education.
“Both of us care deeply about our food system, understanding where our food comes from and how it’s produced,” Liz said. “Even so, we fully ascribe to the philosophy of finding balance between eating clean and well but also enjoying food as an experience, treat or indulgence.”
Since their early days in the kitchen stirring up the pops they’ve created more than 40 different flavor combinations, none too basic or mainstream, including peach sriracha and agave garlic for the Cleveland Garlic Festival hosted by North Union Farmers Market.
The company’s website offers six types — avocado mint chip, black pepper plum, coco mocha fudge, lemon ricotta, sea salt strawberry cream and the most requested watermelon lime.
“People always share that it tastes exactly like frozen watermelon, to which we reply with amusement ‘that’s because it is’,” Liz said.
Although the women are working hard producing pops by the thousands in order to keep up with demand, they’re still looking ahead.
“We do have some neat iterations in the pipeline and hope for those products to launch when the timing is right,” Liz said. “And we’d still love to offer a retail format of our own someday or debut a pop-up option during the summer season.”
