Business & Tech

MARACAS Ice Pops: Bringing A Slice Of Home To The Masses

Julia Padierna-Peralta, creator of MARACAS Ice Pops, is bringing all-natural frozen treats to the masses.

Julia Padierna-Peralta, creator of MARACAS Ice Pops, is bringing all-natural frozen treats to the masses.
Julia Padierna-Peralta, creator of MARACAS Ice Pops, is bringing all-natural frozen treats to the masses. (ponce_photography/Pixabay)

GEORGETOWN, DC — While walking through Georgetown, you may have spotted a colorful tricycle hauling an industrial-grade ice pop freezer. The trike, called MARACAS Ice Pops (like the instrument), travels all over the college town and nearby areas, selling all-natural ice pops — a welcomed escape from D.C.'s sweltering summer temps.

The woman behind MARACAS Ice Pops? Julia Padierna-Peralta.

Born and raised in Mexico, Padierna-Peralta left her home to attend Georgetown University in the '80s. She went on to earn a Master's Degree at the prestigious London School of Economics before returning to the nation's capital to work on NAFTA negotiations for the Mexican Senate, according to Georgetown's Business Improvement District.

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Back in the states, Padierna-Peralta went to law school and became an international trade lawyer, working for the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

But something was missing: the ice pops of her childhood.

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"MARACAS Ice Pops is born from a desire to share a type of frozen treat that I couldn't find around for so many years," Padierna-Peralta told Georgetown BID. "Since my early 20s, I have always had the desire to have my own company in the frozen desserts industry that would make use of fresh fruits."

She told the group that the inspiration for her company's name came from her late mother, a singer who enjoyed the Latin American instrument.

A lawyer by day, Padierna-Peralta slowly received the technical training required to start her business.

"I have about 15 years of training in what I would call the art of freezing — because there is a science behind the freezing of fruits and vegetables," Padierna-Peralta said. "I have obtained about six or seven years of professional training with chefs in Mexico, and also with an advisor to a very large ice cream company here in the U.S. regarding the production of frozen treats."

When first starting out more than a decade ago, Padierna-Peralta bought second-hand equipment in Mexico and began making fresh-cut fruit ice pops for loved ones, according to Georgetown BID. It was in late 2014 that Padierna-Peralta founded MARACAS Ice Pops and sold her very first frozen treat near the Georgetown waterfront.

When it comes to making these ice pops, all fruits aren't created equal.

"It's the art of understanding the fruits, because every fruit is like a person, has a personality. The kiwis from New Zealand are different from the kiwis in Chile, and Italy, and the U.S. The growing of kiwis in New Zealand has soil that is very different from Chile, and the mangoes from Mexico are very different from the mangoes in Pakistan," she told Georgetown BID.

There are also no exact recipes.

"There are no recipes. It's a balance of ingredients, and it's enhancing and letting the actual fruit show its flavor," Padierna-Peralta said. "For example, lime is one of the most interesting ice pops to prepare because you may have 100 limes and there might be one or two that are tart, and one tart lime is going to kill your batch and change the flavor. Pear is a very soft, very delicate personality. Lime is going to take over. Because of all the years of training, I make every effort and I put in all the necessary time to keep the quality and uniformity."

Since launching MARACAS Ice Pops, Padierna-Peralta's business has been shaking up D.C. largely through word of mouth, Georgetown BID said.

On most weekends, you can find MARACAS Ice Pops near the Georgetown waterfront around 1 p.m.

"It's the same trike Julia pushed 60 blocks to and from Southwest when the business first launched," Georgetown BID said.


You can learn more about Julia Padierna-Peralta and MARACAS Ice Pops on Georgetown BID's blog.


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