Pedal-Powered Businesses Popping Up In Portland
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 07.11.08
SolPops photo by gisarah @ flickr
A new era of "post peak oil" bicycle-powered commerce is creeping into Portland's downtown, and what a welcome sight it is. At the Portland Farmer's Market, this year SolPops hit the scene on a sky blue cargo bike with a leafy shade canopy (unfortunately not pictured in this photo) to keep the patrons cool while they choose their frozen treat. SolPops (the SOL stands for sustainable, organic, local) are closer to a Mexican paleta than a regular popsicle, with their thick cold fruity goodness - strawberry, orange, coconut - usually tinged with a surprising extra flavor like basil, or chile.
But while SolPops are currently a seasonal business, more and more year-round Portland establishments have taken to bicycle-based sales and/or delivery. Hot Lips Pizza, whose owner is a long-time Portland sustainability leader, is making deliveries on bike, as is Old Town Pizza. Lulu's Confections's cookies and treats are bicycle delivered -Lulu doesn't yet have a storefront - and Staccato Gelato is pedaling low-carbon gelato from a trike. And two cafés, Black Sheep Bakery and Little Red Bike Café offer bike-through lanes. Via ::Portland Mercury
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I just had the strawberry grapefruit SolPop yesterday! They're ridiculously good and the guys who make and sell them are very nice. They don't put any overprocessed additives in the pops, so you get carbon savings that way too. It's great to see a company running their business in a way that makes sense and doing it well.
In small towns with growing Mexican communities, bicycle powered ice cream men have been a part of the norm for decades. He'll ride around in 60 degrees or 115, but if you need a treat, people will rely on him and he'll be there. However, it's nice to see something like this happening in Portland and perhaps this will become more than just a trend.
DO these stay frozen thru the use of dry ice?