Interview with Frios Gourmet Pops CEO

Frios Gourmet Pops CEO Discusses Frios Opportunity

From its humble beginnings in a tiny garage to revolutionary mobile franchise, Frios Gourmet Pops has come a long way to become the brand it is today. In this interview, franchise CEO Cliff Kennedy offers a look at what Frios Gourmet Pops is all about, including why people love the Frios brand, what it takes to be a franchisee, and the popsicle that changed the course of his life.

How did you start your journey with the Frios Gourmet Pops industry?

Everyone has a weird story of how they fell into business with a franchise. Mine was just being super annoyed with traffic on my way home every day. On my route, I always noticed a lot of happy people outside a Frios Gourmet Pops. So one day, I stopped. I’ll never forget the moment I ordered a key lime pop, and it was just an experience like I’ve never had with a food product. The skies opened up, colors got more vibrant, the birds started singing, and there was a smile on my face.

As I got stuck in traffic every day, I kept trying more and more flavors, and over the course of several months, I became a franchisee. From there, I quickly realized it was a great product, but there was no infrastructure or support. Franchisees were on an island, so I took over as franchisor of the company in December of 2018. I’ve been there ever since.

Can you describe the Frios Gourmet Pops concept?

One of the modalities of how we sell Frios is just driving through neighborhoods, getting the brand out there. Because we sell a prepackaged product, we have a simpler platform than what some of our competitors have that operate out of food trucks. They have complex machinery, they have to make the product right there, and we don’t have complex machinery or food loss associated with our concept. We also have the ability to wholesale, which is a beautiful aspect to our business.

What is the Frios Sweet Ride?

We used to be a brick and mortar store, and then, during the pandemic, we realized we have to go to the people, we have to get out into the neighborhoods, and we have to go to corporate events. So Frios became a mobile franchise. I wanted a design for the vans that stood out; something that was fun and resonated with who we are. That was how the Sweet Ride came about.

Why is a Frios pop described as “happiness on a stick”?

Usually in my office here, I can hear music pounding through the walls, because our production team is jamming out, making popsicles by hand. They’re passionate about it. It’s an incredible team, and that’s why we have a great product and great flavors. I also recently lost a serious game of paper-rock-scissors to my seven-year-old son, so I had to make a blue raspberry flavor, and thank God we did, because it was our number three pop sold this year.

In this business, you know you’re going to put a smile on someone’s face and make them forget about the stress of life. That’s what I love about it. There was a pivotal moment for me when I had a 90-year-old neighbor, Miss Ruth, who told me that the pops I gave her for her birthday made her feel like a kid again – at 90 years old! Her words left a lasting legacy that helped shape our strategy and vision. That’s the feeling we need to promote.

I think we’re also well positioned to weather things like recessions or whatever it might be, because we have a product that everyone just loves that can add a little bit of happiness to their lives.

What are you looking for as an ideal franchise partner?

We’re looking for people with a sales background, and we’re an event-based business, so you need to be comfortable being an extrovert and involved in your community. You’ve got to be a sales warrior, because there’s competition out there. If you’re able to do that, you can be wildly successful.

Frios Gourmet Pops can be a great side hustle, but what about the full time business scaler?

You can scale this business however you want. We have people buying their second and third vans, looking at multiple territories. We just got a new territory mapping system that is incredible, so now we’re really dialed into what a successful territory looks like based on certain demographics. So our systems and processes are improving as well.

Where are you looking to expand?

We’re looking at the southeast a lot, in places like Miami, Tallahassee, Orlando, Jacksonville, San Antonio, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Corpus Christi, Galveston – all those southern states and areas.

Learn More about Frios Gourmet Pops Franchise

If you’re ready to learn more about franchising opportunities with Frios Gourmet Pops, check out our research pages here for information about startup costs, franchisee support and the franchise’s mobile business model. You can also request more information and start a conversation with the franchise team by filling out our inquiry form here.