Interview with Ana Martins the Founder of Froot Pops

This week we caught up with Ana Martins the Founder of Froot Pops, a London-based frozen fruit snack brand.

1. What first sparked the idea of Froot Pops? 

The inspiration for Froot Pops came from my little sister, who adores this snack. At the time, I was working in the F&B retail world and really invested in it. I loved discovering challenger brands in the space, walking around cool indie shops in London and trying out new products, spotting trends and watching up-and-coming brands in the space grow their presence from small shops to mainstream retail. It was all fascinating to me and I started making Froot Pops to put them in the freezers of my little shops and see if our customers liked it. I went on Canva, designed some pouches, and the following week they were live. It went so well that people would send us angry messages when they weren’t in stock, which made me think that there was something special there which was worth opening up to the wider market.

2. What goes into creating the perfect Froot Pop? Is there more science involved than people might imagine?

So much more! I’m sure entrepreneurs in most industries have a similar view around their particular segment, always thinking that theirs is trickier and more nuanced than others out there (after all, we only know what we know). But I really didn’t expect dipping frozen fruits in chocolate (& being part of a frozen supply chain end-to-end) to be such a delicate ordeal. We’ve come so far and learned loads of intricate details on what it is that we need to have in place to make and distribute the perfect Froot Pops, including environment, equipment, temperature conditions, chocolate composition etc. But that expertise gives us a huge advantage in the market, especially with us manufacturing everything in-house, and we’ve now got valuable knowledge that has allowed us to scale the business very quickly in the last year whilst maintaining the highest quality standards and delivering the best product in the market for our customers. I’m super proud of our team for it.

3. What do you think Froot Pops brings to the frozen category that wasn't there before?

It’s such an interesting space to be playing in right now, it feels to me that the frozen revolution has finally arrived in the UK! People are starting to understand the value of frozen, how much a good freezer selection makes the day-to-day easier and allows you to have fresh whole foods that are full of flavour and nutrients. And frozen fruit snacking is a key part of that revolution, not to mention that fastest growing segment of the category by far. Froot Pops is a snacking choice that is better-for-you, includes whole fruits, is portion-controlled, grab & go, and naturally fits into multiple occasions: from a post-gym or after-school pick-me-up to a sweet treat after dinner or fun snack when you’re watching a movie. We can see that people are really embedding us into their routines rather than only as a ‘special occasion’ kind of treat, which is so cool.

4. Where do you see Froot Pops in the next five years? 

Omg everywhere I hope. I feel very passionate about our product and my dream is to become the category leader in frozen fruit snacking in Europe. I already have so many ideas for new ranges, flavours and formats within the category, and I want Froot Pops to be the household name that everyone recognises when they think of fresh fruit treats. We launched our new line of Froot Pops Sours this Summer and it was so cool to see how we’re evolving with the market already and adding more innovation to our portfolio, and I very much want to continue doing that as we enter this new phase of our growth. It’s in fact my favourite part of the job.

5. Best piece of advice you have been given?

I was once told that when you find product-market fit you know it straight away, and then you have got to take advantage of the momentum and run with it. Froot Pops was my third attempt at creating something from scratch so, when I saw what a positive unexpected reception we started getting from the market, I knew I had to give it my full attention and dive in. It’s been such a fun and incredible journey, I hope it’s just the start of something much bigger- but regardless of what the future holds I feel privileged to be building a product that resonates with so many people and households all around the country (and now in Ireland too with Tesco and Dunnes!).

6. What would your ideal day in London be like?

Ouh what a fun question! Given this is a dream day, I’ve ignored two things here: the fact that this amount of food in a single day might be a bit too much, and the fact that the places are not all necessarily close to each other which could make the commute from one stop to the next a bit inconvenient. With this in mind, here I go… I’d start the day with a good swim at the Hampstead ladies pond, one of my favourite spots, followed by a long park walk to work up an appetite. I’d then go for breakfast & coffee (plus a couple of pastries to go) at Honey & Co. Walk over to the Curzon in Soho and catch a good movie. This day is going to be a Saturday, so I’d go to Broadway Market, browse the stalls and for lunch I’d grab the most delicious Ghanaian food from Spinach & Agoushi, which I love. Then I’d treat myself to a long massage and, if there’s something good on (bonus points for a Brazilian artist), go to a gig at Jazz Cafe in Camden. Otherwise I’d walk on to the Plimsoll in Finsbury Park for pints and a late burger + roasties. The perfect day.

For more informatio on Froot Pops, click here.

Photography courtesy of Froot Pops