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CNBC
15 hours ago
- Business
- CNBC
In college, he spent $3,500 to launch a popsicle business—now it brings in $63 million a year
Daniel Goetz spent many late nights as a college senior cutting and blending fresh fruits, and freezing them into popsicles to sell to parched customers near the University of Texas at Austin. The advertising major fell in love with Mexican ice pops, called paletas, while visiting Mexico City with his college girlfriend. Inspired, Goetz started mocking up potential brand names and doodling logos during a class in 2009. He landed on the name "GoodPop." Today, the Austin-based organic popsicle and ice cream bar company's frozen desserts are sold in more than 10,000 locations across the U.S., including Costco, Walmart and Whole Foods Market. GoodPop brought in more than $63 million in gross sales in 2024, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. It's never taken external funding, says Goetz. GoodPop has been profitable nearly every year since its launch, with 2024 as an exception. It likely won't be profitable in 2025 either, following the winding down of an unpopular product line, but is projected to return to profitability in 2026, says a company still the company's CEO, built GoodPop with extremely little experience or industry expertise. He "knew nothing" about supply chains or the consumer packaged goods market, he says, and spent years "driving a lot ... running around all over Texas, making deliveries." He spent his first four years after graduation sleeping "rent-free" on friends' couches around Austin so he could save money while trying to build GoodPop, he says. He cut fruit and froze 80 popsicles per hour, by hand, in a local paleteria that let him use its kitchen after hours. "I just knew that we had this delicious pop with lower sugar, real fruit, and there was nothing like it on the market," says Goetz, 38, adding: "Any opportunity that I could to put these products in front of Austinites, to introduce them and to see if we were on to something, I did." Goetz's family has a history of entrepreneurship: His great-grandfather immigrated to the U.S. from Russia over a century ago and "sold consigned ice out of a pushcart," he says. That great-grandfather then founded a grocery supply business in Houston in 1923, which grew into an operation with multibillion-dollar annual revenue by the time Goetz's family sold their interest in 2014. "I'm so fortunate to grow up in a family of entrepreneurs. But, at the same time, I knew that I needed to make my own mark on this world and do it on my own," says Goetz. With GoodPop, he spent $3,500 — money he'd saved from a lawn-mowing business he started in middle school — on signage, a pushcart of his own and produce to make and sell his first popsicles. He sold them for $2 apiece at local music festivals and farmer's markets, bought more ingredients with his proceeds, and spent three weeks making 18,000 popsicles to sell at the annual Austin City Limits music festival in October 2009, he says. Then, rain turned the festival into a "mud fest," he says. "It [was] a cold, sloppy mess ... and out of those 18,000 pops, we sold four. I thought that this was going to kickstart [the business] and change everything, and we were left with 17,996 pops that I had to figure out what to do with and [almost] no money." Goetz rushed the popsicles to a cold storage facility, paid $50 per month to store them and returned to school "dejected," he says. A few months later, he cut his losses and handed them out for free at Austin's annual SXSW festival. After graduating college, Goetz couldn't shake the GoodPop idea, he says. But the only remaining piece of the company was its website — so Goetz put his marketing skills to work, maximizing the site's search engine optimization (SEO). Soon, "when you searched for organic frozen pops or organic popsicles, because none existed at that time, GoodPop was actually the No. 1 result," he says. A week later, a marketing agency called Manifold asked GoodPop for a price quote for 50,000 organic popsicles with custom packaging. Goetz put in a bid and won it: Manifold paid him $80,000 for the job, giving him half the money up front to cover his production costs. "I hand-stamped every single pop stick," says Goetz. The second half of the payment was pure profit for Goetz, putting GoodPop back in business. Luck similarly gave GoodPop its first major retail partner: Goetz's roommate played recreational soccer with a Whole Foods employee, who put him in touch with a representative from the grocery chain's Southwest regional office. Goetz brought some samples and got the representative's approval to pitch buyers at individual Whole Foods stores. As he won buyers over — building relationships and shaking hands, he says — he spent four years sleeping on friends' couches, staying up late to make popsicles and getting up early to deliver them to Whole Foods locations and other, smaller grocery stores by 6 a.m. "I put 212,000 miles on my Toyota, running around all over Texas, making deliveries for years," says Goetz, adding that the hands-on dedication often left him "completely exhausted." By 2014, GoodPop's products sold well enough for Whole Foods to take over distribution for the Southwest and Rocky Mountain regions, meaning Goetz no longer had to make the deliveries himself. That year, GoodPop brought in $1.3 million in gross sales, the company says. In 2017, Whole Foods expanded GoodPop to national distribution. The brand got into Walmart and Costco the following year. The U.S. popsicle market was worth more than $1.3 billion in 2024, according to an estimate from Cognitive Market Research. That makes GoodPop a small player in a market dominated by packaged goods giants: Unilever, the world's largest ice cream producer, brought in more than $9.5 billion in 2024 revenue from frozen dessert brands like Magnum, Ben & Jerry's and the original Popsicle. Even among plant-based, real-fruit frozen desserts, GoodPop competes with brands like Outshine, owned by a joint venture between Nestlé and French private equity firm PAI Partners, and New York-based Chloe's, which sells low-sugar fruit pops in more than 10,000 stores nationwide, including Walmart and Wegman's. They all face a tough road convincing more Americans to buy lower-sugar desserts. In January, GoodPop wound down a line of low-sugar beverages — which mixed fruit juice with sparkling water — after customers said their kids didn't think the drinks were sweet enough. "We were not willing to compromise on any added sugar or any additional sweeteners," says Goetz, adding: "We have some tough times ahead, as far as continuing to reset those taste buds. But it's a worthwhile cause." Ultimately, Goetz's goal from college remains roughly the same: get GoodPop's desserts into as many new hands as possible. In February, the company landed a licensing deal with The Walt Disney Company, adding "Star Wars" and Mickey Mouse-themed products to GoodPop's offerings — a new strategy for the company to catch shoppers' attention. "The future looks like doubling down on what makes our products great," Goetz says.
Buzz Feed
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
17 Aussie-Only Things The Rest Of The World Won't Get
So, today I'm here to debunk this ~conspiracy~ — not with a world map or any explanation about our history but with a list of experiences that only exist in Australia. "Walking around with your dogs (toes) out and touching bare concrete." "Swapping dinners with whoever's sitting next to you at a wedding." "Eating crisp potato wedges with sweet chilli sauce and sour cream." — u/lewin11This is actually an insanely delicious combo and it breaks my heart that not everyone's experience it. A hot potato wedge that has a perfectly fried crust, dipped into cold sour cream and sweet chilli sauce is TRULY tangy, sweet and satiating. "Drinking a lemon lime and bitters anywhere that serves it." "Slapping beetroot on a burger and accepting its presence in each bite." "Half-flushing the toilet after peeing." Cheering "hip, hip, hooray" after singing someone "Happy Birthday". Voting during political elections is compulsory. Saying "heaps", "I reckon" and adding "but" to the end of sentences. — u/Nebs90, u/flintmichigantropics "We also are the only ones who use 'but' at the end of our sentences. 'It's the same size but' or 'it's not that interesting but'. When I lived overseas and added a 'but' at the end of my sentence everyone would look at me and ask "but what?" Haha I don't know, maybe that's just a WA thing but."— u/Warm-Candle-6615Here's an example: I reckon putting heaps of chicken salt on your chips is sick but. Smothering your hot chips with ✨CHICKEN SALT✨. Calling this symbol ❤️ a "love heart", not just a "heart". "Cooking on a free (or coin-operated) electric barbecue at the park." Dancing a very specific sequence of steps to "Nutbush, City Limits" by Ike and Tina Turner "Try talking to an American and asking them if they can do 'The Nutbush'... The looks... ohhh the looks."— u/FantasticOlive7568We learn this sequence of steps — called 'The Nutbush' — from a very young age and continue to dance them at school discos, weddings, events and more. Even if you try to forget it, you can't stop yourself when you hear the opening beats to "Nutbush City Limits". Begging your parents for a price-y themed bag full of merch and/or candy (AKA a showbag) at every carnival and fair. "Playing cricket on the beach on Christmas Day." Drinking cappuccinos sprinkled with chocolate powder. And finally, eating French toast as a savoury food rather than dessert. What was the most surprising thing on this list?
New York Post
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
What do Austin City Limits tickets cost? See Sabrina Carpenter, John Summit
Vivid Seats is the New York Post's official ticketing partner. We may receive revenue from this partnership for sharing this content and/or when you make a purchase. Featured pricing is subject to change. Austin City Limits took it to the limit this year. Earlier this week, the long-running fest announced their 2025 lineup and truly outdid themselves with the sheer breadth of artists representing different genres — ranging from pop to rock to electronic to country to Hip-Hop to Latin to metal — they've enlisted. Just a few of the biggest names on the stacked bill include pint-sized hitmaker Sabrina Carpenter, EDM party starter John Summit, folksy crooner Hozier, garage rock icons The Strokes and country hero Luke Combs. They'll be joined by industry mainstays Doja Cat, Feid, Cage The Elephant, Rainbow Kitten Surprise and T-Pain at Austin, TX's Zilker Park on both weekend one (Oct. 3-5) and weekend two (Oct. 10-12). Rilo Kiley, Doechii, DJO, and Pierce The Veil round out the massive list of performers descending on Austin this fall. For our money, we're most excited to see Millennial legends Dr. Dog, Panda Bear, Phantogram, Passion Pit and Lucius. In total, 125 (!) artists will take part in the two-week extravaganza. If you want to take part in the action, single and multi-day general admission passes are available as of today. At the time of publication, the lowest price we could find on three-day ACL passes was $390 before fees on Vivid Seats. Single-day passes start at $154 before fees. Still need a few more pieces of information before smashing that buy button? You're in the right place, Austin weirdos. For more information, our team has everything you need to know and more about Austin City Limits 2025 below. All prices listed above are subject to fluctuation. Austin City Limits 2025 tickets A complete breakdown of all the best prices on single and multi-day Austin City Limits general admission passes can be found here: Austin City Limits dates Ticket prices start at Weekend One Friday, Oct. 3 through Sunday, Oct. 5 $394 Single-day passes Friday, Oct. 3 $165 Single-day passes Saturday, Oct. 4 $228 Single-day passes Sunday, Oct. 5 $154 Weekend Two Friday, Oct. 10 through Sunday, Oct. 12 $390 Single-day passes Friday, Oct. 10 $161 Single-day passes Saturday, Oct. 11 $213 Single-day passes Sunday, Oct. 12 $157 (Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time. All prices are in US dollars, subject to fluctuation and include additional fees at checkout.) Vivid Seats is a verified secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand. They offer a 100% buyer guarantee that states your transaction will be safe and secure and your tickets will be delivered prior to the event. Still curious about Vivid Seats? You can find an article from their team about why the company is legit here. Austin City Limits 2025 lineup Curious who the other 100+ artists on ACL's bill are? Wonder no longer, festival-goers. For a closer look, here all the performers taking the stage at Austin City Limits this fall: Huge 2025 music festivals Quite a few of this year's biggest outdoor, musical get-togethers have already unveiled their spring and summer lineups. To make sure your finger is on the pulse, here are five fests you ought to keep an eye on. 2025 festivals Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival June 12-15 at Bonnaroo Manchester Farm in Manchester, TN Olivia Rodrigo, Hozier, Tyler The Creator, Vampire Weekend, Luke Combs Lollapalooza July 31 through Aug. 3 at Grant Park in Chicago, IL Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, Gracie Abrams, Tyler The Creator, Luke Combs Outside Lands Music Festival Aug. 8-10 at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, CA Tyler The Creator, Hozier, Doja Cat, Gracie Abrams, Vampire Weekend Bourbon and Beyond Sept. 11-14 at the Highlands Festival Grounds in Louisville, KY Phish, Noah Kahan, Jack White, Sturgill Simpson, The Lumineers All Things Go Sept. 26-28 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD Noah Kahan, Clairo, Kesha, Lucy Dacus, The Márias Who else is out and about? Take a look at our list of all the biggest music festivals in 2025 to find the outdoor jamboree for you. This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change
