Exploring Life & Business with Jacobi Edwards of Popstick Gourmet Popsicles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacobi Edwards.

Hi Jacobi, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
Hey, y’all my name is Jacobi Edwards and I’m the owner of Pop stick Gourmet Popsicles. I have always had a love for Popsicles ever since I was a young lad. My great grandmother, Effie May Jenkins, would have us pick oranges and string beans, so when we would get a break we’d go to her ice chest and wait for a popsicle.

The type though that you could only call it by name, “I want the red one!” From there my love of food started. Fast forward to 2019, in downtown Chattanooga. I was throwing a dinner party and made Cherry Hibiscus Popsicles. Someone said I should sell them and I agreed with them.

The rest is history.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
No, it has been a road that has been both smooth and rough. When I launched in 2019, I was on top of the world. I was booked and busy, but I was living fast and not strategically.

When 2020 arrived, I turned stagnant. I was burnt out from the amount of events I was doing and everyone became a recluse when COVID happened. For a whole year, I stepped away from my business.

What redeemed it though was me having courage in myself to try again. I took the time away from events, and I honed in my craft, set myself up administratively, and worked on my brand. Since then I’ve been smooth sailing.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Here at Popstick Gourmet Popsicles, we take your grandma’s ice pops and fuse them with vibrant, bold, and adventurous flavors.

Some of the flavors we have are:

• Strawberry Basil (The Red Ranger)
• Blueberry Lavender (The BBL)
• Pineapple Ginger (Keep It PG)
• Kiwi Matcha (Green With Envy)

We serve it in a ziplock, portable tubing pouch. This is ideal for weddings, concerts, or any event/occasion where you’re on the go and can’t be bogged down with utensils. No one in the market is using this type of packaging along with high-end flavors.

I would say I’m most proud of Popstick is because of how we connect to customers. Could we have better equipment–yeah; could we have a stronger social media presence–sure. But just like everyone else, we yearn for human connection and sharing our flavors while getting people’s reactions.

What we want hour readers and potential customers to know is that we love to grow and learn. We live off of feedback but we also like people to submit custom flavors or recommendations for future events. That is how we grow our network but also our customer relationship.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
I live off of SquareUp and Instagram. SquareUp is a cheaper alternative to set up websites and checkout services.

Also, Instagram is how I currently connect with people, artists, customers, and business connections (event promoters, wedding planners, etc.).

Pricing:

• $5/ Popstick
• $10/ Popstick Pouch
• $10/ CBD Pop

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @therealpopstick