Commercial popsicle molds manuacture from China

When we were kids we didn’t really care what was in our popsicles as long as it was sweet, cold and colorful we were all in! We gathered our shiny quarters and headed as fast as we could in the direction of the ice cream truck music. Fast forward 10-20 years and we are forced to be more concerned with the fact that a patriot rocket popsicle has 1/3 electric blue but we can’t find an electric blue fruit anywhere on this planet. 

People want more variety in their food and desserts as well as we now want to be able to pronounce all the ingredients in the food that we are eating and feeding our kids. If you are anything like my family we are major foodies, we want to take our taste buds on a wild goose chase but of course an adventure that ends in an amazing and pleasurable experience that we can’t wait to share with our friends and family.

This provides a huge opportunity for starting a healthy ice pop business. I like to say it’s about time the popsicle grew up! We started a business 5 years ago and have grown it into a very successful mini ice pop making empire. I get emails all the time asking for advice on how to start a popsicle making business. So this article will serve as a source for those wanting to get in the industry. 

Despite the questionable ingredients in most popsicles its hard to imagine these treats going out of style. Enter the gourmet ice pop cart. No matter if you live in a big or small town you can find farmers markets or busy and lucrative locations to set up and sell your pops. 

What you will need to start your ice pop business from home:

Popsicle molds: They usually come in 10-12 cavities per mold. Most people are buying the plastic ones from amazon.com. While they are okay for testing out you will quickly need to graduate to stainless steel molds. 

Cart: If you can find a cold plate cart I promise it is worth the extra money you will shell out in the beginning. You can easily find a dry ice cart on craigslist during the ice cream off season. Dry ice carts mean you will have to purchase dry ice daily and often times you can’t capitalize on last minute events because of waiting on a delivery or having to make a daily trip to your local grocery store. 

A place to produce your pops (Home, Commissary)
Churches and Day Cares are certified by the health department and with a little negotiation you can probably get them for free or a cheap weekly rate

• Blender
• Juicer
• Purchase bulk fruit vegetables and herbs
• Location/High Traffic Exploration Sheet
• popsicle sticks & Bags
• Bag Sealer
• popsicle machine
• Purchase Cart
• City Occupational License
• County Occupational License
• General Liability Insurance
• SafeServe Food Manager Certification
• Equipment Storage
• Cart Transportation
• Freezer (for your home)
• Electricity
• Company Email address/Website
• Business Cards
  • Supplies (Cup, Spoons, Napkins)
• Event Fees Budget
• Credit Card Processing (SquareUp)
• Iphone/Smart Phone
• Set Up Social Media Sites Twitter, Facebook Fanpage, Instagram, yelp.com and foursquare
• Fanny pack :)
• Starting a Popsicle Business

You will not have problems when it comes to selling pops, you can do street vending, catering, or focus on retail or on all 3. The very first thing which you need to pay attention to is the business plan because this will direct you on how you will operate in the popsicle industry. 

This can be a low cost business with less then $5,000 but can quickly exceed that if you are not careful. 

On the flip side you are at around $10,000-$20000 investment to start with commercial equipment 

If you prefer to start-up with low cost, you have no choice but to make home-made popsicles. For you to make sure that you will have an outline and timeline of the entire business operation, drafting a strategic plan over a business plan is the best thing to do in my opinion. Research other big and small pop companies. Or sign up for a ice pop training class. 

Get your Strategic Plan Here  We have more than 20 different size ice cream molds ready in stock for you to select, minimum order quantity 1 set, payment by paypal with buyer protection.

Licensing and permits are a big deal in this business. You may be able to skate by for a while but any big event that is going to make you some serious money is going to request insurance and your permits. Since the rules and regulations for any kind of business operation varies in every state, you need to check first in your locality if there would be inspections to be conducted at your home to secure that the place is safe for food production. 

You also need to learn how to come up with different kinds of popsicle flavors. In short, you must know the step by step process that you need to incorporate in producing a delicious and healthy popsicle. If you will produce different flavors every week, your business will be very in demand. There are a lot of really good books and articles out now that can help you with recipes. Take them and add your own twist or local flavor to them. You will soon find that trial and error will be your best friend for coming up with flavors. You will also see that they unique flavors will draw customers in but most will still buy the safe flavors. 

Catapulting your Popsicle Business

Since you are producing your popsicles at home, your target customers would be your neighbors, friends, family and co-workers first. After noticing that your business clicked with them and they are willing to pay you money, you have created your MVP (Minimal Viable Product) now you have tested the market, you can officially register your company. 

To make sure that more people will know about your business, you also need to get the word out about your business. Social media is amazing for mobile businesses. If you are not social media savvy. Find a local high school student and pay them a few dollars a week.
Drafting a press release to send to your local media outlets and bloggers will be great in marketing as well.