Today we’d like to introduce you to Marthin Ken.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
First off, we opened POPS Artisanal Creamery on July 1st. 2015 in the City of San Fernando. We began our journey with the name Helados Pops Ice Cream which we then decided to re-brand to our current name. To this day, POPS has been nothing other than a heart-filled venture to help our family members.
The idea came about because my father-in-law had an ice cream shop in the LA Area which unfortunately went under during the recession in 2009. His flavors featured exotic fruits that I grew up with in Belize and gave me the nostalgia of the ice cream I ate growing up. These are fruits such as Sour Sop, Cashew Fruit, and Mamey. The most exotic flavor is called Lucuma, a fruit native to the Andean Valleys in South America.
The ice cream I mentioned eating in my childhood was that of my family, going back six generations starting with my great, great grandfather Romulo, a traveling salesman from Italy who found love and settled in Belize and then became a baker and an ice cream maker. His Kriol Sweet Corn is a flavor that I have duplicated thanks to my grandfather John giving me the Recipe.
With this said, POPS is a tribute to our family’s fathers and grandfathers that have been making ice cream for six generations. It was the perfect platform for me to take my place and become the next POPS! I sometimes feel like the universe chose this path for me. It is surreal to me to have married the daughter of an ice cream maker with me having such a deep family history of ice cream.
My obsession with ice cream feels like I was born to do this. My competitive nature, commitment to excellence and love has given us a reputation for having some of the Best Ice Cream in the LA Area.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I simply have had too many obstacles. My challenges started since day one, and they range from inexperience, finances and time. Starting with time, I still to this day work a full-time job at Kaiser Permanente which additionally requires me to take call for orthopedic related emergencies both surgical and non-surgical. I’m a father and husband which we all know requires a lot of time.
My daughters were two and seven years old when we started, so I have sacrificed a lot of company growth in order to be there for my kids and wife. This leads me to finances, I don’t have any investors or loans so to fund this project, I have had to work extra hard, and I continue to do so.
Most mom and pop businesses are owner ran and operated, but because my wife and I both work full-time jobs we have relied on a lot of staff which is not ideal financially, in the early stages of a new small business. Inexperience was also a huge factor. I literally started by signing a lease and not knowing the first phone call to make.
All we had was a great product, and quickly we had to learn and adapt the business side of things. I honestly love challenges, I think growing with challenges made me mentally strong and with the love I have for POPS I can sleep four to five hours a night and always stay positive, patient and excited about what we can accomplish.
Please tell us about POPS Artisanal Creamery.
We make carefully crafted ice cream in small batches using all natural, organic ingredients. Our flavor categories are exotic fruits, seasonal farmer’s market fruits, exclusive family recipes, traditional favorites, and limitless future possibilities. We create a wine tasting experience with our range of flavors and distinctive taste.
We are known for our Coconut Sundae, which features a freshly cracked coconut, followed by coring the soft milk flesh to serve on the bottom of the ice cream and lastly adding toppings as needed. We do the same concept using a pineapple as well.
I am most proud of Pops because of the reputation we have earned for premium quality and outstanding customer service that has earned us a five stars rating on platforms such as Yelp, FB and Google. We have been listed first in the LA weekly for best in LA, 4th overall by infatuation and top five in other media outlets.
The point is that being the best is subjective, but ultimately when having the discussion, we are definitely a part of it. I think what sets us apart is the way we measure success. We are simple and transparent and love what we do. Our concept of success is to earn the title of “The Best Ice Cream I have ever had.”
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory was meeting my father for the first time in April of 1995. I was three months away from turning 10. I knew of my father before meeting him, but having him in my life was a positive change and helped me get to where I’m at today.
Contact Info:
- Address: 450 N Maclay Ave. San Fernando, CA 91340
- Website: www.PopsArtisanalCreamery.com
- Phone: (818)371-3538
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/popscreamery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/POPSCreamery/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/PopsCreamery
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pops-artisanal-creamery-san-fernando-2
Image Credit:
the_burger_man
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