Sorbet Squeezups Latest Attempt to Healthify Kids

Published on Friday, January 7, 2011, by James Norton / Edit Post

Jolly Llama Sorbet Squeezups

Jolly Llama Sorbet Squeezups

I Paid: $4.99 for four 3-fluid-ounce tubes (prices may vary by region)

Taste: 4 stars

Marketing: 5 stars

With bright, bold colors and a minimalist aesthetic, the Jolly Llama company packaging seems to be saying, "This is an ice-cream-style treat that will make you look good to the other Montessori school parents."

Jolly Llama's dairy-free, gluten-free, fat-free Sorbet Squeezups "are made from actual whole fruits, not purees or concentrates. As a result they burst with the refreshing, real taste of sun-ripened fruit while retaining the rich store of nutrients nature intended."

So what are they exactly, if they're not made from purées or concentrates? Hard to describe, but they're a bit like softer fruit leather. You actually have to do some tearing with your teeth. And although they are sweetened (evaporated cane juice), these things taste like fruit, period. The Mango Sorbet had a beautiful mango funk to it. And the Blueberry Sorbet, again, had depth: The earthiness of the blueberries came through clearly, shown off by the Squeezup's dense chewiness. Both had a balanced, clean sweetness that was gentle and retiring, not brash and artificial.

And while the marketing may be a little aggressive, hey, that's its job. Nothing wrong with talking loud if the product backs it up.

James Norton edits the Upper Midwestern food journal Heavy Table. He's also the coauthor of a book on Wisconsin's master cheesemakers. For his Supertaster Daily videos, he samples offerings from supermarket aisles and fast-food menus. (Click here to see all of James's previous Supertaster work.) You can follow him on Twitter and fan him on Facebook.

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POST A COMMENT |6 Comments

COMMENT

  • I'm doubtful of healthy ice cream, so I looked up the nutrition facts on their site. Here's a comparison with other "healthy" ice creams, real fruit, and just for fun a klondike bar.

    The Squeezups seem about as healthy as fruit sprinkled with sugar and lil' acid, because that's seems like what goes into them. I'll stick with raw fruit and smoothies, but if you're kids are chomping down on...+READ

    I'm doubtful of healthy ice cream, so I looked up the nutrition facts on their site. Here's a comparison with other "healthy" ice creams, real fruit, and just for fun a klondike bar.

    The Squeezups seem about as healthy as fruit sprinkled with sugar and lil' acid, because that's seems like what goes into them. I'll stick with raw fruit and smoothies, but if you're kids are chomping down on klondike bars (only takes 4 of em and you got enough calories for the day) then you might want to try the Squeezups or . . . really anything else. I was kinda surprised that some of the ice cream had as little sugar as it did. I was also impressed by the healthy choice fudge bars. I'm thinking about trying some and posting back with how they taste.

    And one last thing, this only shows carbs, fat, and protein. They are the calories in your food. It doesn't include vitamins, fiber, etc. which are also important.

    Fudge Pops
    21 g of carbs
    5 g of fat
    3 g protein

    Pushups
    18 g of carbs
    1 g of fat
    0 g of protein

    Funpop
    13 g of carbs
    0 g of fat
    0 g of protein

    Squeezups
    19-21 g of carbs
    0-3 g of fat
    0 g of protein

    a fistful of raw blueberries
    21 g of carbs
    0 g of fat
    1 g of protein

    a large mango
    28 g of carbs
    0 g of fat
    1 g of protein

    Healthy Choice Fruit Bars
    18 g of carbs
    5 g of fat
    1 g of protein

    Healthy Choice Fudge Bars
    11 g of carbs
    1 g of fat
    5 g of protein

    And just for fun

    Klondike Bar
    36 g of carbs
    36 g of fat
    5 g of protein-COLLAPSE

  • These are absolutely awesome! They are sort of like a popsicle but grown up, i love them. My kids actually are bigger fans than i thought that they would be, and actually picked these over blue bell fudge bars when we went to the store today.

  • Thanks James! I'm Scott J., the President/Founder. The best way to describe our Sorbet Squeezups is that they're frozen in the same way as ice cream, but they are made from fruit purees instead of cream/milk/eggs - this is the classic definition of a sorbet. We're not trying to do anything fancier than offer healthier versions of old school frozen treats (the old school being popsicles and push...+READ

    Thanks James! I'm Scott J., the President/Founder. The best way to describe our Sorbet Squeezups is that they're frozen in the same way as ice cream, but they are made from fruit purees instead of cream/milk/eggs - this is the classic definition of a sorbet. We're not trying to do anything fancier than offer healthier versions of old school frozen treats (the old school being popsicles and push up tubes). Anyway, we're thrilled you thought they were made well: each flavor is made with an average of around 60% fruit by weight, so god forbid if they weren't full of fresh fruit deliciousness!-COLLAPSE

  • "This is an ice-cream-style treat that will make you look good to the other Montessori school parents."

    Bwahahaha!

  • chochotee: But a food manufacturer can't make money that way.

    Sounds good, like a better alternative to Popsicles.

  • Why not just freeze fruit? Frozen chunks of mango or frozen bananas are absolutely wonderful to eat out of the freezer.