Rollin' With Diva Pops

​If you’ve spent any time in Tallahassee, you’ve likely found your way to the Downtown Marketplace on a Saturday morning. That’s home to a company called Diva Pops, a family owned and operated business that got their start out of a cart selling handcrafted popsicles.

​You may know them for their ever changing, interesting flavors like Sriracha Raspberry, Hibiscus Mango, and Mexican Hot Chocolate. But not to worry, if those flavors are a little too wild for your tastes, they have refreshing and classic flavors like Lemonade, and Strawberries and Cream.

Humble Beginnings
Diva Pops started humbly, with a cart and a tent at Downtown Marketplace, then began catering events at places like Florida State University, Florida A&M, and TCC, where the area students have served as a large part of their customer base. We know how much those ties to the university mean to them, because they have a framed picture of their first ever customers - two FSU freshmen - hanging in their new storefront.

That’s right! Diva Pops now has four walls and a ceiling that you can visit almost any day of the week. You don’t have to wait until the weekend to get your pop fix, and best of all, by visiting the store you have the option of dipping your pop and coating it with your favorite topping AND you can check out their hand rolled ice cream!​

Hand rolled ice cream
When we walked into the shop, the friendly face behind the counter was the owner Ismail. Ismail is a family man, and went all in on Diva Pops with his wife and kids after their oldest son won a popsicle eating contest in Atlanta, Georgia. As successful as Diva Pops had been through their catering and marketplace presence, Ismail is always looking for ways to reinvent the business and provide the next best thing. When he heard about hand rolled ice cream, he knew he had a winner.

Hand rolled ice cream is unlike anything you’ve seen before. It’s something that started in Thailand, then made its way to New York. From there, it filtered out to big cities like Los Angeles and Atlanta, and now Diva Pops has brought it to Tallahassee.

When we heard that the ice cream was made in front of you on a below freezing workspace, our minds immediately went to ice cream we’ve had from places like Cold Stone Creamery. But that is where all similarities end. As a customer, you will see every ingredient that goes into your ice cream, starting with the cream itself and whatever flavor you infuse it with. The options are endless, and include favorites like strawberries, Oreos, and brownies. The components are chopped down and mixed until creamy, then spread to a super thin layer. A special spatula is then wedged beneath one edge of the sheet, and the ice cream is stripped off into thin rolls that eventually form a bouquet of ice cream finished with your favorite toppings.

On our visit, we were drooling over the beauty and deliciousness of the presentation. We’ve included a short video on our Facebook page, but the process is one you have to see for yourself. You’ll appreciate the fresh and simple ingredients (no preservatives or mystery components), and love the taste and texture of the thin rolls.  Best of all students receive a special discount for making the drive up to the north side of town.

Visit today for a totally new ice cream experience, and thank Ismail and his family for bringing a taste of the big cities to Tallahassee.

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Diva Pops is located in the Bannerman Crossing Shopping Plaza, 6668 Thomasville Road, Unit 19.
Hours of Operation:
Monday -- Thursday 11:30-8:30 
Friday -- Saturday 11:00-9:00 
Sunday 12:00-6:00

Be Sure to tell them you heard about them here, and help spread the word!

Stay Hungry Tally!
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--TFB