David Greenfeld is the CEO and Co-founder of Dream Pops, a plant-based ice cream that is sweeping the nation in popularity. Greenfeld -- a UC Berkeley Alumni and a former investment banker -- initially conceptualized the health conscious and delicious creations from a personal need. He found himself eating Haagen-Dazs bars and other dairy & sugar-heavy snacks late nights in his cubicle that were forcing him to crash. He knew he had to shift to a cleaner plant-based diet with less dairy and cleaner alternatives, and the inspiration for Dream Pops came full circle during a trip to Cartagena, Colombia. He saw the popularity of the paletas being sold locally, with all-natural ingredients and real fruit. While working in investment banking, Greenfeld was relocated to Milan, Italy for work and immediately recognized the popularity of ice cream in Italy, with their cultural staple -- gelato. After witnessing the artisanal, design-forward, culinary innovation at local chocolate shops and gelateria’s in Milan, Greenfeld knew that there was an opportunity to create a plant-based product that took inspiration from both worlds. He quit his job in May 2017, and Dream Pops was born -- a brand that started in his mom’s kitchen. Greenfeld and team were able to execute on the vision, as Dream Pops is now available to over two thousand retail locations in the U.S. and Canada.
Dream Pops is taking on the $100-billion-dollar confectionary market that is dominated by industry incumbents like Hershey's, Mars and Ferrero. Greenfeld has been gaining traction by focusing on a trend that has been overlooked in the category - plant-based innovation. All Dream Pops products contain a coconut milk base with only 2 grams of coconut sugar, and less than 100 calories per pop. The company uses a patented flash-freezing process, giving them a similar texture and consistency to dairy due to smaller ice crystals. They come in flavors like Chocolate Lion, Vanilla Matcha, Berry Dreams, Coconut Latte and Mango Passion Fruit and have a 1.5 year long shelf-life, only using 5-9 ingredients. Dream Pops have superfoods like baobab, lion’s mane, matcha, passion fruit, and raspberry and are also great because they do not have any alternative sweeteners like stevia or erythritol. Greenfeld is keen on re-inventing nostalgic products that Americans have been conditioned to love over the past half decade and believes it is far easier to replace existing consumer habits than to create new ones.
Greenfeld has also unveiled a new product extension called Dream Pop Bites, that have all the healthy elements of Dream Pops, but with more traditional flavors like Vanilla Sky, Cookie Dough Peanut Butter, Birthday Cake, and Berry Dreams and are all coated in chocolate. The company released the line of Dream Pop Bites in the midst of continuous triple digit growth in annual revenue and plans to launch into shelf stable innovation this year.
Greenfeld says that frozen innovation has exploded during the pandemic, and that the barriers to entry and complexities associated with freight and direct-to-consumer make this a category ripe for disruption. Why? A large number of people are looking to buy frozen foods due to the impact of Covid-19 and trust frozen products with longer shelf lives.
Greenfeld's broader goal is to be the “Willy Wonka” of plant-based confectionary products, extending the product suite outside of just the freezer. He is looking to capture a large share of the market that is controlled by big brands like Hershey’s, Mars and Ferrero – all brands that have marginally innovated over the last few decades. He believes that if challenger brands like Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods and Daring Foods can achieve global scale in alternative meat, and Oatly and Califia can do so in alt-dairy, there is no reason that a player cannot thrive in the plant-based confectionery category.
Greenfeld has been able to attain such rapid growth through an implemented omni-channel content strategy that has truly become a content machine. His internal marketing team is made up of writers, graphic designers, videographers, and content creators and the company is doubling down on organic content to continue generating brand awareness. Greenfeld’s efforts have not gone unnoticed, he was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2020 for Food and Drink.
Dream Pops is now diving into the mainstream by partnering with brands like Barbara Sturm, Nike, Starbucks, and Six Flags and hopes to make waves in alternative distribution channels like stadiums, event venues and amusement parks.
With a talented team, powerful marketing initiatives, a proprietary flash-freezing process, healthy nutrients, and a stunning product suite -- the company is gaining serious momentum heading into 2021. Dream Pops is a must-buy this upcoming summer. Consumer’s will be able to cool down from the heat with delicious ice cream that is health conscious, leaving them satisfied and guilt-free.
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