Cecilia Thomas
Co-Founder of LAPP
France
“Life shouldn’t be more complicated than doing what you love,” this Paris-born entrepreneur believes, “and I’ve always been a big big food enthusiast and a party lover, too! So starting an alcoholic ice cream brand was quite… obvious.”
On a more serious note, Cecilia Thomas has always been interested in building her own company, “probably because all my family, parents and grandparents, had businesses.” She was basically waiting for the right idea at the right time, and it actually came up during an internship for a vodka company. “The client wanted to promote their brand. It was summertime, and so I looked on the internet and noticed the trend was quite big for making alcoholic ice pops at home. It just clicked in my head and I knew the idea was good enough – it was so simple!”
“Life shouldn’t be more complicated than doing what you love,” this Paris-born entrepreneur believes, “and I’ve always been a big big food enthusiast and a party lover, too! So starting an alcoholic ice cream brand was quite… obvious.”
On a more serious note, Cecilia Thomas has always been interested in building her own company, “probably because all my family, parents and grandparents, had businesses.” She was basically waiting for the right idea at the right time, and it actually came up during an internship for a vodka company. “The client wanted to promote their brand. It was summertime, and so I looked on the internet and noticed the trend was quite big for making alcoholic ice pops at home. It just clicked in my head and I knew the idea was good enough – it was so simple!”
"A pledge for simple ideas and not-so-easy executions."
For this former project manager in London, realizing it was another story entirely. “Actually going from having this great idea to giving it life was far from easy. I usually have about a million ideas a second, but I can easily get overwhelmed when it comes to structuring them, and this time around, I was especially struggling with confidence. I’ve been so lucky to have met my friend and flatmate Laura, my now business partner, who is the exact opposite of me: she has an innate confidence in life and is so practical! I’ve learned a lot from her!”
LAPP, the first brand of gourmet cocktail ice pops (100% natural: fruits & alcohol only), is the result of a well-fit tandem and their hard work. In their first year of business, they had about 10 stockists in their neighbourhood in London (mostly friends, or friends of friends). “We are now sold in about 750 retailers across France, Belgium, and the UK! It’s really crazy when I think of the beginning of the brand. We really do tend to forget how far we’ve come.” In 2016, they created Poptails by LAPP, ice pops inspired by favourite cocktails such as the Spritz or Mojito. In 2021, LAPP launched its new range of vegan ice cream called Popdream. Looking onward, the goal is simple: “For me, the most important thing is to get the best quality product at the best price. That’s not easy, but that’s really our aim. Something that tastes good, which is good for your health, and always with respect for the environment.”
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For this former project manager in London, realizing it was another story entirely. “Actually going from having this great idea to giving it life was far from easy. I usually have about a million ideas a second, but I can easily get overwhelmed when it comes to structuring them, and this time around, I was especially struggling with confidence. I’ve been so lucky to have met my friend and flatmate Laura, my now business partner, who is the exact opposite of me: she has an innate confidence in life and is so practical! I’ve learned a lot from her!”
LAPP, the first brand of gourmet cocktail ice pops (100% natural: fruits & alcohol only), is the result of a well-fit tandem and their hard work. In their first year of business, they had about 10 stockists in their neighbourhood in London (mostly friends, or friends of friends). “We are now sold in about 750 retailers across France, Belgium, and the UK! It’s really crazy when I think of the beginning of the brand. We really do tend to forget how far we’ve come.” In 2016, they created Poptails by LAPP, ice pops inspired by favourite cocktails such as the Spritz or Mojito. In 2021, LAPP launched its new range of vegan ice cream called Popdream. Looking onward, the goal is simple: “For me, the most important thing is to get the best quality product at the best price. That’s not easy, but that’s really our aim. Something that tastes good, which is good for your health, and always with respect for the environment.”
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Cecilia is one of the Food Heroes for 2022. See more inspiring and world-changing stories from Food Heroes here.