The purchase of an iconic tricycle found on Craigslist has turned into a bustling frozen treats business for husband-and-wife duo Jason Richardson and Korin Hollinshead.
The pair began selling their popsicles at the Fulton Street Farmers Market under the name Any Colour You Like nearly five years ago with a growing array of unique flavors and colors. The gourmet popsicles come in flavors like Berry Lavender Lemonade and MI Maple Horchata, along with a creative variety of rotating flavors that change with the seasons.
Today, the pair continue to sell their homemade pops on wheels at the Fulton Street Farmers Market, as well as in coolers at the Downtown Market, Lucy’s in the Creston neighborhood and several taprooms around Grand Rapids.
While Richardson’s background in the culinary arts helped them build their startup into a successful business, it began with small batches of gelato served out of the purple and blue tricycle.
Over the years, the pair has discovered that with their adventurous flavor palates and a few popsicle molds, they can make some delicious treats with unexpected flavors.
“(Jason) likes to take classic pairings that have a specific flavor profile and maybe switch out some of the things to see if they go together,” Hollinshead said.
From cookbooks featuring recipes from around the world to childhood favorites like Texas toast with peanut butter and bacon, Richardson and Hollinshead work on creating flavors that incorporate as many different ideas as they can, all while using as many local ingredients as possible and keeping up with the changing seasons.
This fall, some ideas are to include some spicy popsicles with fruits like mango and spices like cayenne. One of their bestselling treats from seasons past has a fun twist on a classic fan favorite: the fudgsicle.
“We’ll probably bring back our Mexican fudgsicle,” Hollinshead said. “We’ve had a lot of requests for that, so that’s like chocolate, it’s creamy, cinnamon and a little bit of cayenne.”
While they still sell at the locations listed above, they also do catering events, delivery and can be found at music festivals all over Michigan during the summer, encouraging attendees to try their outrageous creations — usually to positive results.
“People are sometimes a little apprehensive to try a flavor because they think it sounds a little too far out, but Jason always says, ‘It’s just a popsicle, give it a go!’ It’s three ounces, four bucks, try it out, you might like it, you might not, and usually, they do!”
The best part of their experience on the other side of the cooler is watching people who are less inclined to try a spicy popsicle or a unique tropical fruit pairing discover that having a little trust in their creative culinary skills totally pays off.
“Hands down, watching people experiencing something new and enjoy it is the best thing for us. They’re very intentional and that little moment where like, everything else is kind of quiet and you’re just enjoying a really simple thing that’s really thoughtful,” Hollinshead said.
Richardson and Hollinshead plan to open a brick-and-mortar location where they can sell all kinds of crazy popsicle flavors along with handheld sandwiches, burgers and fries to go with the gourmet treat.
In the meantime, Any Colour You Like can be found at the Fulton Street Farmers Market through October as well as in coolers scattered around Grand Rapids throughout the year, and if you’re lucky enough, maybe a music festival you’re headed to this summer.
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