A new frozen pop company with a Brazilian twist is opening branches in two of Dallas' hottest neighborhoods. Called Picolé Pops, it'll open in the Bishop Arts District, at 415 W. Davis St., in the former La Original Michoacana space; and also in Deep Ellum, at 2656 Main St., next to barbecue kingpin Pecan Lodge.
Adrian Lara, who owns Picolé with his brothers Andres and Jorge, says that Picolé will do gourmet "Brazilian-style" frozen concoctions infused with exotic fruits and fillings, some of which include alcohol.
"Picolé is popsicle in Portuguese," Lara says. "This is a hugely popular concept in Brazil, and we're hoping to bring it here to the United States."
He describes the Brazilian-style pop as a spin-off of the Mexican paleta.
"It's not the same, however," he says. "Mexican pops are more of a water-based popsicle, with a texture that can be very hard. Ours will be infused with alcohol and exotic fruits you don't find here. And then it's all about the filling inside. Our slogan is that 'fillings matter.' Whenever you take a bite, it will be filled with things like Nutella."
They'll do pops in three categories: fruity, creamy, and premium-infused.
"We're going to do about 30 flavors, including fruit-based flavors like watermelon and strawberry," he says. "The premium are the ones that will be filled, like a banana pop with Nutella filling, or a strawberry pop with condensed milk. Some will have dairy, so the water-based will be flavors like lemon that are also good for vegans."
They'll reserve the alcohol-infused pops for their location in Deep Ellum.
"We want to adapt to the neighborhoods we're in," he says. "Deep Ellum has a younger crowd. But these won't be something where you get drunk on one popsicle; we don't want that to happen. We want people to be able to enjoy a popsicle and not get pulled over."
They've been working on the two locations for more than a year. They started out in Deep Ellum, but their building was among the lot of properties that were sold by 42 Real Estate in July. They turned their attention to Bishop Arts, which will likely open first.
Both locations occupy cool vintage buildings that will feature a colorful, decorative scheme based on Brazilian favelas, the funky urban dwellings. "We want to incorporate a lot of color," he says.
Their timetable is mid- to late-September.
A former financial services consultant who worked for Fidelity, Lara is also carrying on a family tradition with Picolé. "My dad had a popsicle shop growing up," he says. "This is something I'm doing for my parents, too."
