Alcohol delivery Melbourne: Pops By Launch by Lesley Webster a hit
When a Heidelberg Heights mum launched her own business, she never expected it to be a lockdown hit. But her range of cocktail-flavoured sorbet pops have been in big demand. Here’s how to get your hands on them.
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A Heidelberg Heights mum’s range of alcoholic sorbet pops has been recognised at the 2020 AusMumpreneur Awards.
Lesley Webster and her husband Joe, a mixologist, came up with the idea for the business while discussing desserts.
“He is from an Italian background so he is big on desserts, and so am I,” she said.
“So we just decided we should look into creating something quite different.”
Pops By Launch was born, featuring alcoholic sorbet pops in different flavours, including limoncello, gin and tonic, pina colada, mojito and scotch and cola.
Mrs Webster said the pops were the first of their kind in Australia, because they mixed the alcohol with sorbet instead of frozen ice.
“Because it’s a sorbet it’s nice and smooth, it’s got a great consistency and we don’t just use flavouring we use real products,” she said.
“We were trying to think of something that people could have at picnics, barbecues, weddings – something a bit different, that was fun and tasted good.“I’m very passionate about it, we didn’t just aim it at women, that wasn’t deliberate, but cocktails have a big female following.”
The pops 1920s Great Gatsby-style packaging was recognised at the awards, with the business winning two gold awards for food and beverage and product design.
The couple launched the business about a year ago, and sold the pops through local sellers, before bigger companies jumped on board, including RACV Resorts and the Arts Centre.
“We really slogged to get in front of some big clients,” Mrs Webster said.
The pops were also popular at end of year parties, weddings and engagements.
But Mrs Webster said everything stopped when COVID hit.
The business uses a factory in Thomastown to make their products, and Mrs Webster said if it wasn’t for the support of their landlord “we probably wouldn’t be here to be honest”.
“It would have been very difficult,” she said.
“We’ve been very blessed to have people around us who have supported us.”
Mrs Webster, a mum of two, said in light of COVID, she knew the business had to diversify to survive.
“So I decided to just sell to all the mums I knew,” she said.
“When I found the women’s business collective and AusMumpreneur I just started making a lot of connections with other mums.”
Originally from Scotland, Mrs Webster said she didn’t have a lot of connections before joining the groups, and they had been a huge support.
“I got so much support from mums and their friends, and a lot of social media pages without me knowing them, picked up (our products) and put it on their page to support us.
“I don’t think we could have survived otherwise.”
The AusMumpreneur Awards, presented by The Women’s Business School, were created to inspire, celebrate and provide a community for Australian entrepreneurs.
The pops are available for home delivery.
Details: popsbylaunch.com
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