HPISD Lunches May Get Berry Cool Treats
Locally-made Berrynaked popsicles might soon find their way into ice chests at Highland Park ISD schools.
“They want to make it a part of the plated lunches at the elementary and a more a-la-carte feature for the higher grades,” said Heather Kim, who owns the Inwood Village-based Berrynaked with her husband, Gavin.
HPISD spokesperson David Hicks said the district would likely have an answer for the Kims sometime this summer.
The University Park couple started serving up frozen confections and fresh purees in their shop in 2014, determined to offer their neighbors healthy desserts and “anytime” snacks. The Kims said they were impressed with the district’s commitment to that same idea.
“I started this because I was really influenced by what I wanted to feed my daughters,” Heather said. “After having kids, I really cared about what went into their bodies.”
Before opening Berrynaked, Heather would whip up fruit purees at home as a way to incorporate produce into their diet. After her daughters’ tastes changed and the purees became old news, Heather said she began making popsicles.
“I think what she does so well is her organic fruit puree,” Gavin said. “It’s keeping the fiber, the nutrients in the product because of the way she chooses to make it. It’s easy to want to keep the flavor consistent with additives, fillers, and coloring — but she won’t. And that’s what makes it good.”
Heather spent months preparing recipes in her kitchen before opening her tidy storefront. She said she wanted to build the bases of the product on a smaller scale before translating it into a commercial space.
She envisioned creating specific “lines” of flavors to group together. For example, the Berrynaked Signature line carries staple flavors such as strawberry and lime; the Berrynaked Luxe line incorporates more inventive ingredients like mascarpone and coconut cream; and the Berrynaked Vitality line features superfood ingredients.
Soon, Heather will be introducing two new lines: Berrynaked Crazy and Berrynaked Beautiful. On average, the store holds about 30 different pop flavors.
“I made room to introduce new product lines,” Heather said of her business model. “The flavors we offer change about once every two to three weeks. It all depends on what’s in season.”
As for growth, Gavin said they want to remain laser-focused on stabilizing what their product line is before thinking about franchising. For now, they want any prospective new shop to be locally owned and sourced.
“We’re very comfortable where we are now,” Gavin said. “The customer niche is growing every day and we want to be careful about not growing too quickly.”
Despite their lack of marketing, the shop has garnered faithful customers from word of mouth and social media, Heather said.
“We love this place. We live here, work here, our kids go to school here — the community we’re in is important to us,” Gavin said.
