King of Pops: The Power of the Georgia Community

In the mid-2000s, brothers Steven and Nick Carse often enjoyed summers with their eldest brother, an anthropologist, in South America. They loved eating paletas, Latin American ice pops, and dreamed of bringing the fresh-fruit creations back home to share. In 2010, Steven made the move to do just that and began experimenting with a variety of techniques and recipes. In 2010, King of Pops opened its first location at a convenience store in Atlanta. Today, their signature push carts can be found handing out popsicles in Athens, Greenville, Charleston, Charlotte, Richmond and Nashville. Steven attributes their success to the Atlanta community's interest in local business and the ease of sourcing fresh ingredients directly from Georgia farms. In 2016, King of Pops sold 2 million popsicles and reached $5 million in sales.