April 22, 2021
By Nour Rahal Detroit Free Press
Prepare to refresh this summer with new gourmet ice pops from a mobile franchise that’s coming to Detroit in June.
Frios Gourmet Pops is a mobile ice pop business that “prides itself on having an array of flavors available per month that can satisfy any cravings and dietary restrictions or preferences,” according to its news release.
Detroit business owner Karen Hudson is preparing to bring the gourmet popsicles to the city in June.
“I have been in the mobile dessert space in metro Detroit for the last 10 years,” she said. “I’m actually a co-owner of Detroit Mini Donut. I was looking for something that I could do in addition to, and I’m a stickler for quality product because everybody kind of knows me for what I already do. I tried the Frios product and I was just blown away.”
Signature and carousel ice pops are available in many varieties, including creamy, fruity, no sugar added, gluten-free, dye-free, vegan, nut-free, wheat-free, soy-free and dairy-free pops. Some flavors include Cookies N’ Cream, Blue Raspberry, Cheesecake, Strawberry Mango, Birthday Cake and many more.
Hudson’s own official Frios Gourmet Pops truck is still under construction. It will be somewhere different almost every day when it is up and running.
“That one hasn’t hit the streets yet, officially,” Hudson said. “I’m going to actually start booking birthday parties, weddings and bar mitzvahs and things like that probably starting June 1.”
In the meantime, Hudson is accepting delivery orders throughout metro Detroit.
“Food trucks in general are kind of exploding in Detroit right now, I would say accelerated by the pandemic,” Hudson said. “There’s not a lot of dessert trucks though. … I thought bringing a cold, high quality treat to Detroit would just be an awesome addition.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Frios Gourmet Pops have served as a “great opportunity to those who lost their jobs or who were forced into early retirement because of the pandemic,” according to the company. “The Frios opportunity allows people to have the freedom to create a fun and flexible work environment, while crafting their own goals to meet.”
Starting a new business during the pandemic has been “interesting,” Hudson said. It has required a lot of pivoting, but being mobile has allowed Hudson some flexibility.
“It’s really nice and fun to be able to go into neighborhoods and do deliveries and porch drop-offs,” Hudson said. “It’s definitely different and not the way that we thought we were going to be doing business, but we’re for sure still making it happen.”
Frios’ work environment is not exclusive to those affected by the pandemic, but throughout the entire Frios system, according to the company. There are over 40 franchise locations within 50 territories across the United States and they are hoping to expand to over 100 territories in a year.
Hudson is currently also selling Frios Pops in her Detroit Mini Donut truck until the Frios truck is ready.
“You can always find us downtown,” she said. “We’re at 214 East Grand River.”