“No one has ever looked sad eating a popsicle,” said Tyler Phillips, the founder of the plant-based popsicle company Hummii. After experimenting with various plant-based dessert recipes with high protein, Tyler discovered that the popsicle best showcased his creamy chickpea base. He combined healthy and yummy to create the name Hummii - a frozen treat business that packs nutrition into a convenient snack for all.
Tyler Phillips discovered Union Kitchen while searching for ways to commercialize his popsicles. At the time, Tyler had been recipe-testing in his family’s kitchen and sharing popsicles with cousins, grandparents, and neighborhood kids. After collecting valuable feedback on his early samples, Tyler improved his recipes and felt ready to take Hummii to the next level. As an Accelerator Brand at Union Kitchen, in less than four months, Hummii launched four new popsicle flavors - Blueberry Tuffin, Mindful Matcha, Chiseled Chocolate, and MONKEY-ING Around - all produced out of our commercial Kitchen and all approved by his picky family.
The oldest of five siblings, Tyler grew up in a hectic household. His active family relied on fast food to keep them going during their busy days. Ultra-processed food and candy largely comprised Tyler’s childhood diet. During a year-long stay in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Tyler decided to take ownership of his health and that started with what he was eating. He adopted a plant-based diet and followed an intense fitness regimen. He brainstormed healthy recipes during his 7+ miles runs and early-morning swims. Plant-based popsicles, Tyler realized, would be easy to eat on-the-go, contained a high protein content, kept him cool in the tropical weather, and who doesn’t love popsicles?
Tyler had experience starting a business. He initially moved to Puerto Rico to help launch local startups. Helping entrepreneurs abroad perfectly integrated his creative side with his background in finance and accounting. Tyler realized that he could further apply his business skills in a creative outlet with Hummii! In fact, Tyler’s favorite part of Hummii is creating the cartoons for his packaging (and having a great reason to always be eating a popsicle). Each flavor comes with its own characters, background story, and soundtrack. Tyler’s brother, an aspiring DJ, has created Spotify playlists for each flavor that can be found on the bottom of the packaging. Join Hank Hummii, Captain Cocoa, Buddy Banana and friends in the Hummiiverse (Hummii Universe) through the popsicle flavors, music, and stories.
Tyler’s large family came in handy when COVID-19 thwarted his initial launch plans. Before the pandemic, Tyler gained feedback on his early samples by sharing his popsicles at public spaces like gyms and concerts. The pandemic forced Tyler to rely on a smaller, more critical audience for review of his product - his family. When his initial popsicle batches failed to impress, Tyler joked that his family members held nothing back.
His family’s constructive criticism ultimately served him well. “It is okay to strive for perfection, but realize that nobody knows what your perfect product or brand is when you are just starting out. That’s why it is so important to share your early samples with those around you, so that you can improve on what you have,” Tyler explained to us.
At just 25 years old, Tyler has successfully launched his line of Hummii popsicles into market - a huge achievement for any entrepreneur. He wants to bust the myth that entrepreneurs need millions of dollars to launch. All successful food businesses start with a great idea and a passionate entrepreneur. We think Hummii has both!
Find Hummii popsicles in the frozen section in Union Kitchen Stores throughout the city! In the meantime, keep up with all things Hummii by following @hummii_yummy on Instagram. Tyler loves hearing from the community so feel free to email him here with new flavor ideas or suggestions!
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