Modern Pop, Inc., a Southern California-inspired foods brand committed to “Putting Fruit First,” has rapidly expanded product distribution of its frozen fruit bar offerings to roughly 3,000 locations throughout the USA. The Laguna Beach-based company has also added notable investors to support its growth, among them: Cambridge Companies SPG, Rocana Venture Partners and Steelpoint Capital.
Modern Pop products are promoted as the world’s first frozen fruit bars to list whole delicious fruit as the first ingredient across all of its flavors. The “better-for-you brand” prides itself on recipes that deliver more whole fruit, minimal ingredients and less sugar than an apple.
Six varieties are available: Strawberry Lemonade, Raspberry Pomegranate, Pineapple, Mango, Tropical and Fruit Punch. Distribution is in four-packs, with calorie counts ranging from 45 to 60 per 74ml bar.
“These are the product attributes which we believe won over major retailers like Kroger, Safeway, Publix, Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Wegmans,” said CEO Julie Podolec, who started the company in 2013, four years after moving from New York City to California.
“We’re very excited to be executing upon our vision of creating and commercializing a product that bridges the gap between health and indulgence in the frozen category, and thrilled to be partnered with the funds backing Modern Pop,” said Brad Podolec, co-founder.
“We are proud to support Modern Pop as the brand navigates new growth opportunities in 2018,” said Filipp Chebotarev, chief operating officer and partner at Cambridge Companies. “It is invigorating the frozen fruit bar space with real ingredients and exceptional flavors.”
The idea originated after the founders, who were new parents at the time, failed at several attempts to find a frozen fruit bar they felt comfortable giving their teething infant. Options in local supermarket freezers fell short, and what was available contained too much sugar, not enough fruit, and too many hard-to-pronounce ingredients.
“Modern Pop is more than just a fruit bar company,” said Julie. “We’re doing our best to weave the Southern California lifestyle into a foods brand. It’s done in apparel, we see no reason why it can’t be done in foods!”
