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New frozen-treat shop opens in Kettering
KETTERING — A new frozen-treat shop called Sweet P’s Handcrafted Ice Pops has opened at 22 W. Stroop Road in the Castle Hills Shopping Center.
The ice-pop shop — which is not part of a national chain — is owned by Pam Bertke of Sugarcreek Twp., who has worked in the graphic arts and mortgage industries before launching her business. Bertke said she researched her idea of selling ice pops based on the Mexican frozen treats known as paletas for eight months before deciding to open Sweet P’s.
That research included road trips to Nashville, Tennessee and locations in North Carolina that sell the frozen treats, as well as taste-tests in her home that she dubbed “Popsicle tasting parties” modeled after wine-tasting sessions.
Bertke said paletas are made from fresh ingredients and are known for their vibrant flavors. They come in two types: dairy-based and water-based. Sweet P’s will rotate flavors, but earlier this week was offering dairy-based choices such as chocolate-raspberry, coffee latte and key lime pie; and water-based pops such as kiwi-lime-ginger, peach and watermelon-blueberry.
The frozen treats can include savory and spicy ingredients. Bertke has a pineapple-chili pepper ice pop on her menu, and plans on flavors that include strawberry-basil and lemon-rosemary bases, she said. All of the Sweet P’s ice pops are made in the retail store’s kitchen, where they are flash-frozen, Bertke said.
When winter comes, Bertke may continue to serve the ice pops — “People eat ice cream year-round,” she said — and may add items such as Mexican-style hot chocolate and hot apple cider to the menu.
The ice pops are $2.50, and the store is cash-only. Sweet P’s is open Wednesday through Saturday noon to 8 p.m., and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed Monday and Tuesday. For more information, call (937) 985-7086.
(photo by Mark Fisher, Dayton Daily News)Tweet
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