If the adorable Popcycle graphics and colorful instagram don’t make you want to order frozen treats right now, then perhaps the amazing young woman behind this frosty, tasty venture, will.
Meet Noah Goldberg. Now 17, she started Popcycle last year when she came for the Summer to Edgartown with her family, as she does every year, escaping the heat of her home, New York City.
Noah at 15, was asking herself what she wanted to do with her life. She is a professed NYC foodie. Friends, families and even strangers alike, would ask her were to go, because she had such an active social media account on all things food in the city (at 15)!
She loved food, especially desserts, and loves technology. She taught herself how to code, how to create a website, so of course, why not start a business? Being in NYC, she has access to an incredible array of sweet treats. In the city, lots of food is delivered by bicycle, often being much faster then cars.
The Vineyard has a lot of ice cream shops, but not a lot of gourmet frozen treats. Also, Edgartown has a lot of traffic in the Summer, so a bike would be a great delivery method. Plus, it is the perfect target audience.
After lots of research in frozen goodies, and starting a business, she went to a bank to get a loan. Everything else was going smoothly but this part was harder then she expected. So, she drew up a contract and got a loan from her parents, which she is working on paying back in full.
She worked with 99 Designs to find the perfect Popcycle logo, found a young guy to help her create the Popcycle App, ordered a super cool custom bicycle from Denmark with the ultimate bike freezer, got all her ducks in a row, and launched last year.
How Does It Work
It is so easy. Get the Popcycle App, click here. Scroll through all the options, order, select delivery time and location, pay, and voila! You have some of the most amazing frozen treats you can find on Martha’s Vineyard delivered right to you. Something that happens all the time in the city, but is such a novelty for the Island.
From all her research, Noah has chosen to work with 5 vendors, La Newyorkina (famous for its Paletas, Mexican-style ice pops), Chole’s Fruit (known for its incredibly fresh fruit pops and perfect for people with nut allergies), Melt Bakery (New York’s ice cream sandwich store), DŌ, Cookie Dough NYC (which is exactly that, cookie dough you’re mom won’t yell at you for eating, and mochidoki (Japanese rice covered ice cream – I too was curious, check out the website to see what it’s about).
Noah has carefully curated her selection. It could change next year, even grow, but the response to these brands has been overwhelmingly positive here on the Vineyard. People really enjoy how easy it is to order and have Popcycle deliver. People are also really, really enjoying having this gourmet frozen goodies that are unlike anything else offered on the Island.
Novelties
When I met with Noah, she brought me a Melt Bakery Lovelet, which is one of their signature treats. It’s a red velvet melt cake (a soft delicious cake) with housemade cream cheese ice cream. A perfect frozen version of red velvet cake. It truly was amazing. I could eat these goodies everyday, and ice cream is not one of my favorite things.
Melt is frozen perfection that is made possible by Popcycle. Though delivery is by a cool Popcycle bike, and is only in Edgartown, Noah and her team are able to cater events. You’ll find Popcycle at the Ag Fair this year, and at other Ag Hall events. If you want high quality, beautiful, delicious, small craft frozen treats, then Popcycle is for you.
Speaking of team, if Noah doesn’t deliver personally to you, chances are it’s one of her sisters. There are four Goldberg girls. Noah, 17, Scarlett, 15, Tess, 13, and Audrey, 12, and they are part of the delivery team. Who knows how many people will be helping next year!
Popcycle is a family affair. Her parents could not be more proud of how hard Noah works with this endeavor, and her sisters are learning so much from her. Popcycle has become quite the rage this Summer, and has already exceeded last year’s sales in the first two weeks.
Supporting Other Young Girls
So, I was already quite impressed with Noah’s work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit, but it was the answer to this question that truly left my heart full, “What do you see for the for the future of Popcycle”.
Imagine my surprise when she told me she hopes to “franchise” Popcycle, and empower other young girls in similar communities to have the chance to start their own company, manage a business, manage a team. Provide them the chance to feel empowered, challenge, the joys of success and failure. Help them explore options in addition to babysitting, retail or waitressing, and for those girls that have the drive and motivation like Noah does, they will experience success, creating a network of empowered young girls/women!
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Author’s Note: Special thanks to Cheyenne Cohen for the great Popcycle photos! Such great colors and whimsy!