Vicky Kuharski, Staff Writer~
With summer right around the corner, now is the time to start planning all of your stops for sweet treats. Lynchburg now has another stop to put on your sugar radar: Chill City Pops.
Chill City Pops is a new popsicle place, run with a food truck-esque mentality. Owners Josh Kirk (of Maylynn’s Creamery) and Blake Gederberg (of Speakertree Records) collaborated to make this dream come true.
The business runs in a pop-up style, which means customers will have to pay some attention to see where they will show up next. The owners said they “both were very excited about this specific concept and thought it would be a great addition to our growing food truck scene.”
The first pop-up was held at SpeakerTree Records on Commerce Street and had a great turnout. The secret to that, likely, is in the ingredients and the process of creating the pops.
Kirk was invested in doing something different and healthier than the creamery-style ice cream that is so popular in the city. The popsicles are made fresh right in Lynchburg, made with as many locally-sourced ingredients as possible. The ingredients are simple: fresh fruit, organic cane sugar, water and a pinch of salt.
“First it starts with the idea. We try to dream up flavors we would like to taste and come up with cool combinations of fruit and flavors that will peak people’s attention,” the owners said.
No artificial dyes or flavoring are used in the popsicles. Flavors like strawberry, blueberry and peach can be attributed to the hard work of local farmers. The owners consider themselves unique in that these treats go from being fruit to being consumed as a popsicle in the same week. The products are typically gluten and dairy-free, as well as vegan-friendly. If there are any popsicles that do not fall under that criteria, they are labeled accordingly.
The business hopes to grow, and they are attempting to set up several different carts by the summer of 2018. This would allow the business to be servicing the community in multiple places at once. Currently, they have over 50 different recipe ideas in the books to bring to the community.
One thing the owners feel strongly about is being both invested in and a part of the Lynchburg community. With both of them owning other local businesses, they have a vested interest in the further development of the community.
They truly mean it, too. With the devastation caused by the EF 2 tornado that touched down this past Sunday, many local families and businesses got hit hard. The unaffected or less severely affected local businesses are working to help bring some relief, and Chill City Pops is no different. Pops for a Purpose is their way of being able to give back.
The team will be at Apocalypse Ale Works in Forest, Va. on April 21 for the disaster relief benefit. Part of the proceeds from that day will be donated to help the local families affected by the tornado.
For more information on the event or any of Chill City’s pop-ups, make sure to check them out on Facebook or their website at ChillCityPops.com