It was frozen yogurt, the cupcake and now it is the ice pop. Throughout the past few years, ice pop shops have been popping up, with many people racing to get the chilly treat.
These aren’t the ice pops you grew up with; many ice pop shops sell ice pops that contain all natural, or sometimes even local ingredients.
Two of the well-known ice pop shops of the Southeast are actually located in Auburn and Opelika, and they are Steel City Pops and the Pop Factory at the Overall Company.
David Tice, manager of Steel City Pops in downtown Auburn and sophomore in psychology, said he thinks the appeal of ice pops is that they are marketed to seem healthier than other desserts.
Tice said ice pops can be very similar to a smoothie and said it is the satisfaction of a dessert without feeling bad about it later.
Tice worked at a Steel City Pops location in Birmingham starting in February 2014, and moved to Auburn to go to school. He now manages the Auburn location, which opened April 3.
Steel City Pops has two types of pops: creamy pops that are dairy-based and fruit pops that are water-based. Tice said that the fruit flavors are healthier than the dairy alternative.
While the weather is not always perfect for pops, Tice said that the company has seasonal flavors, which helps bring in business when the weather is not ideal.
The winter and fall pops are more cream-based flavors such as pumpkin and peppermint, while the spring flavors are a mix of creamy and fruity flavors.
The seasonal flavors switch out about every three months, but there are certain core flavors that are always available, according to Tice.
Jim Watkins, owner of Steel City Pops, comes up with most of the flavor ideas.
Steel City Pops are made of all natural ingredients, Watkins said. The pops are made in Homewood and transported to Auburn via a refrigerated van approximately every week.
The Pop Factory at the Overall Company gets ingredients for their ice pops locally.
According to Reese Shirey, manager of the Pop Factory at Overall Company, the only pop without local ingredients is the vanilla bean pop because it contains Madagascar vanilla. The milk they use is from southern Alabama.
“(We come up with) flavors that we could create by using local ingredients,” Shirey said.
Shirey used to be in the ice cream business in north Alabama and learned about the Overall Company through the co-owner, Jay Pritchard, who is a family friend of his.
Shirey said he thinks the appeal of ice pops may be that they are more convenient than other desserts.
“Reese (Shirey) makes all of the batches and he is responsible for each one that goes out,” Pritchard said.
Pritchard said that Overall Company started making the treat in January 2012. He got the idea after hearing about a trend in southern Florida and California called Paletas, which is a Spanish ice pop.
Overall Company takes the trend to the next level with alcoholic pops as well as chocolate sauce to dip the pops in.
“We wanted a really great frozen product that we could offer alongside the coffee,” Pritchard said.
Pritchard said people now pair ice pops with alcoholic beverages.
The core flavors of ice pops that Overall Company offers include vanilla bean, basil lemonade, strawberry balsamic, chocolate, cookies and cream and salted caramel. They also offer approximately 15-20 seasonal flavors.
While many food trends come and go, the appeal of the ice pop is popular in the Auburn community and is here to stay for a while.
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