Healthy Sweets
New gourmet popsicle shop slips a cool one into Inwood Village
Inwood Village seems like the perfect place for Berrynaked, a new gourmet popsicle and puree store coming from a discriminating mom who wanted to give her kids the best. The store, which is set to open in July, will sell organic popsicles, fruit and vegetable purees, and "squeezies" in flavors such as mango coconut and macha agave mint.
Founders Heather and Gavin Kim, who live and work in the Park Cities, come from the corporate/business world. Heather's focus changed after she started a family.
"I became a mom of two girls, who are 6 and 2, and became passionate about their nutrition, to provide them with best possible food," she says. That entailed making purees herself, from the freshest ingredients.
"I started making popsicles to help them get a day's worth of fruits and vegetables," she says. "I realized I was doing a lot of good for my girls and felt compelled to share my passion with other and my friends. I had something to offer, and Berrynaked was born."
In addition to popsicles, Heather will offer a line of purees and the kid favorite known as squeezies, which consist of purees in a flexible, drinkable pouch, sold in all sorts of places, including Starbucks.
"Squeezies are popular for all ages; my kids still eat them," she says. "As an example, you see GoGo apple sauce, it's very popular with kids of all ages."
But there aren't that many places that offer purees, which babies start eating as early as six months. "The process and ingredients to make purees is similar to making popsicles, so it was easy for me to expand my offering," she says.
She has three categories of popsicles, each targeted to a different audience. One is her very basic fruit, called Berrynaked signature. A second, which she calls Berrynaked Luxe, is more indulgent, more dessert-like, with the inclusion of cream and ingredients such as coconut cream. A third is more health-oriented.
"The third line is called Berrynaked Vitality, and that has your superfoods," she says. "Like chia popsicles, protein popsicles and some vegetable-infused popsicles as well, for people who are looking for something different, with a stronger emphasis on unique superfood ingredients."
She's thoughtful on the sweetener front, vowing that there will be no artificial sugars. "Organic coconut sugar and stevia are great alternatives, and we'll incorporate them into some of our popsicles," she says.
Berrynaked goes into a space at 5560 W. Lovers Ln. in No. 251, recently revamped into a brand new storefront. When Berrynaked opens, it'll be the fulfillment of a couple years' work in the making, one that has seen the entry of concepts such as Steel City Pops.
"It's good — now there's a buzz about popsicles," Heather says.
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