Detroit Pop Shop
Takyhia Burns knows the value of “newness.” The Detroit teen is the manager of Detroit Pop Shop, an ice pop company bringing sticky smiles to Eastern Market and catered events around the city. She is constantly coming up with new recipes to keep the crowds happy.
“When I first started [working at] Pop Shop we only had five flavors,” Burns says. “Since then we’ve grown to 25. A lot of people seem to love the idea of me creating new flavors.”
Strawberry Lemonade, Michigan Peach, Coco Banana Split are all part of Burns’ repertoire. She often creates boutique flavors for events. Her personal favorite is Island Breeze, a tantalizing combination of lime, peaches and mango.
Burns and her team create the gourmet pops out of Peaches and Greens’ commercial kitchen in Detroit using fresh local fruits and herbs. The project is part of Small Batch Detroit, a Detroit Food Academy (DFA) program that engages students in the food business. Small Batch projects are run by Detroit teens, who design their businesses with a triple bottom line that includes financial, environmental and social accountability.
Small Batch Director Jacob Schoenknecht says the program not only imparts skills, but also provides competitive wages and industry contacts for students and alumni. “The students get to learn some pretty cool culinary skills with us and our amazing team during the summer, but then a good portion of that summer is spent working with a mentor, either a chef or small business owner, in the city,” Schoenknecht says. “A lot of times they end up extending a job offer to the youth, so it’s a really good pipeline connecting students to good food business in the city.”
Along with Pop Shop, Small Batch has seen the development of Mitten Bites— which appear on shelves at retailers like Whole Foods—and Slow Jams (made with all-Michigan berries, fruits and sugars), combining to make an online gift shop.
“All of the businesses have been a great experiment showing how responsible and awesome 18- to 25-year-olds can be when they are given the opportunity,” Schoenknecht says.
Burns went through the program while studying at Cristo Rey High School and stayed on with the team. Schoenknecht says her talent was obvious from the start and is evident in her creativity at Pop Shop.
“Takyhia does the coolest, weirdest combinations of flavors, but anything she does with coconut milk ends up being my favorite,” he says.
It’s not all fun and games, though. Burns is quick to admit the inventory side of the business is the most difficult part. “The hardest thing I had to do was making close to 13,000 popsicles for Henry Ford Hospital,” she says. “It took months, but we got it done.”
Although Burns plans to see the business grow, she wants to keep the Pop Shop’s fresh approach. “I love when we do special parties or weddings, because I get to make different flavors for the brides and grooms,” she says.
Learn more at www.SmallBatchDetroit.com
