Crooked Stick Pops brings ‘simple and healthy’ ice pops to Easthampton

MassLive, July 3, 2017 by Ellanje Ferguson

As the days get hotter and the urge to cool down with a frozen treat increases, Crooked Stick Pops is here to save the day.

By using whole fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices, Crooked Stick Pops reinvents your typical ice pop and turns it into a fresh and healthy treat.

After working in the international education field, Julie Tuman, came up with the concept and launched her brand in last year.

“I traveled a lot in my job and I loved it but the thing I was missing out on was the sense of community because I was gone all of the time,” said Tuman. “So for a really long time, people told me to just work for myself and I sort’ve just fell into this.”

After spending over a year taking these handmade ice pops to local farmers markets and festivals, Crooked Stick Pops has opened a storefront in Easthampton just in time for summer.

“It’s a soft opening for now, rather than wait for everything be finished and perfect we decided to just go ahead and open,” said Tuman. “It’s been really nice to have a space for people to come find us seven days a week.”

In the Crooked Stick Pops ‘pop shop,’ customers can pick and choose from flavor options like Nectarine Black Tea or Blueberry Lavender Lemonade and purchase one pop for $3.50 or three for $10.

In comparison to the popsicles people are used to getting from a grocery store, Crooked Stick Pops are almost like a hard sorbet and some might have a little bit of texture to them based on the makeup of the flavors.

Tuman says the production process isn’t all that difficult, “For example the Strawberry Peach Balsamic Pop is made of strawberries from Warner Farm and peach balsamic from Ellie’s Oils.”

“We pop all of the ingredients in the blender and that’s it – you’re eating pureed strawberries, a little bit of lemon juice, a little bit of simple syrup and some peach white balsamic. It’s simple and healthy.”

Most of the flavor options available have a seasonal feel to them – expect more fruit based pops in the spring and summer and a heavier emphasis on vegetables in the fall and winter.

“With the season right now, we’re just getting into local flavors and herbs so lots of the pops have hints of strawberries, rhubarb, mint and basil,” said Tuman.

From selling 100 pops at a small local market to 2,500 at this year’s Solid Sound Festival, the jump has been a new process for Tuman, but one she’s excited about.

“Selling them to people, this thing that I made… that I drove to Sunderland to get strawberries for, made them and froze them, then being able to watch them eat it and it giving them the same experience I have… it’s the most amazing thing” said Tuman. “People come in happy and they leave even happier.”

The Crooked Stick Pops Pop Shop is located in the Eastworks building at 116 Pleasant St. in Easthampton and open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For more information on Crooked Stick Pops, visit www.crookedstickpops.com.