A frozen dessert business that is also making waves in the healthcare industry for its choicest products, House of Pops was started by veteran B2B/B2C and FMCG marketing professional Mazen Kanaan and his culinary and hospitality expert wife Marcela Sancho.
With a shared desire to create healthy delights to cater to everyone’s taste buds as well as fitness goals, the two crafted the brand from scratch in their very own kitchen and transformed it into the leading player that it is today in the health, wellness and food sector.
In an interview with Business Frontier, CEO and Co-Founder Mazen Kanaan speaks about bridging the gap between taste and health, the intrigue surrounding veganism and the trends that the F&B market will witness in future.
Q. What made you start House of Pops?
I started my career with Unilever and managed the ice cream industry in different parts of the Middle East region like Turkey and Saudi Arabia. It all started when my wife and partner Marcela and I noticed a serious gap in the market when it came to healthy ice cream offerings.
There really isn’t an ice cream that is both good for you and actually tastes good. It’s always one of the two. The ice creams in our region are also super sugar-heavy, or loaded with ingredients no one can even pronounce, let alone understand. So, it only made sense to develop something together, and that ended up becoming the House of Pops that we know and love. With my ideas and Marcela’s recipes, it was a match made in culinary heaven.
Q. With veganism being a buzzword at the moment, what sets you apart from your contemporaries?
We get this question often! A lot sets us apart. Aside from the impeccable quality of ingredients we use, we are not just a vegan offering. Normally, businesses substitute milk or other animal-derived products with heavy ingredients or perhaps, even allergens.
We work exclusively with allergen-free ingredients, making House of Pops inclusive for all dietary preferences. Instead of almond milk, which naturally is an allergen, we use organic coconut milk and cream. We are also aware that numerous consumers who follow the vegan diet do so with sustainability in mind, as they are aware of the ramifications dairy farms have on the environment. So, to our nature-loving friends we are also a plastic-free vegan brand.
There is also a common misconception that vegan food is not meant for everyone, when that is truly not the case. Being a Lebanese, I can vouch for the fact that we have a wide range of vegan-friendly food and stews that everyone can consume, whether they are vegan or not. The difference with House of Pops lies in the fact that we deliver products that taste phenomenal to people of all tastes/dietary preferences.
Q. As a business leader, what core strategies do you employ to keep your team motivated?
Flexibility is definitely one of the strategies that we truly believe in. We are a flexible working space and feel that employees can be productive in any space that works for them, whether it’s home or office. As long as one is able to deliver the business needs, that’s what matters.
Additionally, I feel that sharing the wins and losses of the company with the team is important. We celebrate every win together, because it is the collective effort across different channels that leads to a win – we all deserve the recognition.
Q. What trends will the vegan and food market witness this year?
What we see is very rapid developments in the vegan food sector. It’s no longer the traditional/stereotypical sense of vegan food. We see a lot of technological advancements in kitchen/manufacturing. We see an amazing advancement in the textures of plant-based foods, like burger patties and fluffy vegan ice cream that aren’t necessarily heavy on the gut.
I see more and more plant-based substitutes for our favourite foods starting to take over. I also see a lot of developments in the juicing/smoothies’ sector, with loads of up-and-coming brands that are developing fruit fusions that boost energy, immunity, and overall health.
Q. What are your future goals for the organisation?
I naturally hope to see it grow! As we expand our geographic coverage, we hope to see offices and teams pop up in different countries. For now, we are expanding our footprint in the KSA and will be setting up a dedicated team to manage the operations in the Kingdom as we see endless opportunities over there.
