Daniel Goetz, an entrepreneur from Austin, Texas, transformed a modest investment of $3,500 into a multimillion-dollar popsicle enterprise known as GoodPop. Goetz’s entrepreneurial roots inspire him to produce healthy desserts. Once an accidental entrepreneur, since starting the company in college, he’s proven the food industry’s boom and bust cycles wrong. Now, GoodPop pulls in more than $63 million of annual gross sales. You can now find their products in over 10,000 retail locations nationwide, including major retailers such as Costco, Walmart and Whole Foods Market.
Goetz’s entrepreneurial spirit began at a young age with a neighborhood lawn-mowing business. This entrepreneurial venture provided him with the first round of capital to start his popsicle business. In 2009, he took all of his savings and put it into signage, a pushcart and fresh produce to create his first popsicles. He put on an impressive showing for his debut at the annual Austin City Limits music festival. There, he created a monumental 18,000-popsicle piece! The day-to-day life of that festival turned out to be a struggle. Goetz sold only four custom popsicles out of the batch.
Goetz remarked, “It was a cold, sloppy mess… and out of those 18,000 pops, we sold four.” Despite this setback, he remained undeterred. He hand-cut fruit and froze as many as 80 popsicles an hour at a friends paleteria after closing time. All that time, though, he was laying the groundwork for his brand.
It’s a testament to Goetz’s dedication to his vision that he lived the same principles in those early years as a way of life. He put himself in debt for four years sleeping on friends’ couches in NY, balancing late-night production sessions with harried early-morning deliveries. “Driving a lot… running around all over Texas, making deliveries,” he said, illustrating the hard work that went into building GoodPop from the ground up.
And by 2012, GoodPop was a remarkable success, pulling in $1.3 million in gross sales. Save for 2024, the company has turned a profit almost every year since its founding. Along the way, this year GoodPop hit a notable milestone with gross sales topping $63 million. This achievement further cements its leadership role in the rapidly growing U.S. popsicle market, now worth more than $1.3 billion, based on a new report from Cognitive Market Research.
GoodPop’s growth is a success story not just because of their differentiated product offerings but because of Goetz’s commitment to quality. “We were not willing to compromise on any added sugar or any additional sweeteners,” he stated. His focus on creating delicious pops made from real fruit and lower sugar content differentiated GoodPop in a crowded market.
Equally interesting is the firm’s tie to Goetz’s entrepreneurial heritage. His great-grandfather had immigrated from Russia. He started out selling consigned ice from a pushcart before opening an independent grocery supply business in Houston in 1923. This operation had developed into a multibillion-dollar enterprise by the time the family divested their interest in 2014. Very lucky to have an entrepreneur household. Goetz recalled, “I knew that I had to leave my own stamp on this world.” I’ll be honest—I was hellbent to do it alone.
GoodPop recently expanded its product lineup through a licensing deal with The Walt Disney Company, adding themed offerings featuring beloved characters like those from “Star Wars” and Mickey Mouse. This partnership is the latest example of the company’s commitment to innovation and consumer engagement.
As Goetz continues to expand GoodPop’s operations and vision, he is steadfast in his dedication to grow and improve his product. “The future looks like doubling down on what makes our products great,” he remarked.