A bespoke ice cream bar that offers ‘happiness on a stick’ is opening its third store as the cult of Happy Pops grows.
When Augusta and Ian Puttkammer opened their first store in Noosa in 2018, they wanted buying an ice cream to be a sensory experience for children and adults.
Their handcrafted cold treats come in an array of playful shapes and flavours and are then draped in chocolate and dipped in toppings.
Four years from their launch, the Puttkammers are opening their third store (the second is at South Bank in Brisbane) in the eclectic town of Eumundi and the phone is running hot — even before they have opened.
“I added the store location on Google, and it went through much quicker than we anticipated, and the phone is now ringing off the hook with people from all over the region wanting to know when they can visit us”, Augusta said.
“We chose Eumundi as our latest destination because its roots are firmly entrenched in all things artisanal and that is what our handcrafted ice creams are all about.
“We also love the connection it has to our local food and agribusiness producers as we try and source everything we can locally and this includes purchasing our milk from another iconic brand, Maleny Dairies.”
Happiness on a stick
Happy Pops is not a normal ice cream store.
The experience starts when you choose your own “naked” pop in a variety of styles from gelato, sorbet and yoghurt and there is also a considerable vegan range.
New flavours are being added all the time but the core range includes bitter chocolate, mango, lemon & blood orange, hazelnut, hokey pokey, salted caramel, brownie batter, Nutella & fudge and fruit pavlova.
As an added bonus most Happy Pops are gluten free.
The second stage is choosing the chocolate to cover your naked pop. You can of course keep it simple but then you would be denying yourself the experience of being let loose in the candy shop.
Thirdly select your toppings, which includes everything from M&M’s to freeze-dried berries – with everything in between, and then simply relish the experience.
The ice cream lays flat in a box while you decorate it and has its own drip tray when you eat it.
Now employing 34 staff, Augusta and Ian are proud that they can offer young people regular work, and many of the kids who joined them when they first opened are still with them today.
Despite pressure to open stores in larger malls or to franchise their concept, Augusta and Ian are staying true to their vision.
“Every week we are contacted by someone wanting us to open up in a large shopping centre or by someone wanting us to franchise, but we won’t be going down that path”, August said.
“We have become an iconic brand with people saying things like “Did you even go to Noosa if you didn’t go to Happy Pops?” and this has come about because we try to think of ourselves as a destination where a premium, fun product enhances or completes your day out, and for that reason every decision we make about our brand is vital”.
The Eumundi store at 88 Memorial Drive will officially open on April 1 and free ice creams will be given out between 3pm and 5pm in exchange for a gold coin donation to Wishlist.
