During the work day, Ofelia Saenz toils away as a copywriter and freelance publicist. During events, you can find her selling paletas from her young business Alegria Pops.
Paletas are Mexican ice pops made from a variety of flavors.
Alegria Pops advertises its paletas as "small-batch, artisanal ice pops [that] are made from scratch using a blend of traditional Mexican flavors and the freshest available ingredients, often combined in unconventional and surprising ways."
Saenz completed the
BUILD entrepreneurial class at D:hive last spring and used that experience as the launchpad for starting Alegria Pops in Southwest Detroit last summer.
"I knew I wanted to do something with food," Saenz says. "Coming up with the recipes for ice pops seemed like a challenge, but an interesting challenge."
Today she has 15 recipes and sells her products by popping-up at local festivals, events, and restaurants like Green Dot Stables. She is also going to be working at the series of
BUILD Bazaar events across the city this month.
"My goal is to build the business so it can be sold out of a brick-and-mortar location, preferably in the Southwest or Corktown areas." Saenz says.
Source: Ofelia Saenz, owner of Alegria Pops
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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