Pop Cycle is run by me, George – thanks to you, dear customers!
Pop Cycle began pedalling lollies in 2014 at markets and events around Swansea. I was inspired by the idea of pedlars and a desire for more wholesome, fruity and dairy free iced options. Especially when you live by the sea! It seemed like the growing number of people avoiding dairy and opting for veganism needed catering for. I was also determined to use Fairtrade ingredients wherever possible. And what better way to get kids eating fruit? I was pleased people liked our modern take on the lolly pop and tried to develop the business.
In 2015 we were extrememly grateful to receive lots of support through a successful crowdfunding campaign. This enabled us to get the lollies shelf life tested for sale to cafes. I started doing poptails for weddings and we served up 1000 pops for Swansea University Open Day.
In 2016 we were street trading at a pitch on Swansesa seafront where our tricycle got lots of compliments. We also got some great reviews of our poptails from bloggers at London Fashion week and started doing workshops in schools. We were accepted to exhibit at the prestigious Abergavenny Food Festival. It seems like we were onto something as the lolly scene in the UK continued to develop.
In 2017 our services were in high demand for weddings and we had some lovely reviews. I also did a schools workshop and started to plan a pilot project offering training to asylum seekers.
In 2018 our refugee training project developed and was hosted by Swansea Community Farm. These pops were sold in cafes and we received media coverage.
In 2019 we were finalists in the BeTheChange awards by #EthicalHour and continued to offer training to refugees. We were also awarded a Great Taste Gold Star for our Spiced Pear & Prosecco Sorbet.
2020 in this challenging year we developed packs of pops for home delivery. We also took deliveries of pops to refresh key workers. We were also awarded another 2 Great Taste Gold Stars!
We are still exploring ways to get our ices into your hands and constantly experimenting with new flavours. We really appreciate your support and feedback so we can continue making you super pops!
If you have an idea for a flavour, event, cafe or collaboration you think we’d be into, please get in touch.