MANAYUNK

Blog post by Manayunk Development Corporation Summer Intern, Katie Kavanaugh.

It all began when Jesse Frank was in college at the University of Maryland. After visiting a friend in California, Jesse saw the budding food truck scene and the beginning of the frozen yogurt craze and decided to merge the two together. The result was a frozen yogurt truck that modeled the ice cream truck you know and love from your childhood. Whirled Peace was such a success on wheels that Jesse decided to expand and has opened three locations, including one in Manayunk. Located on the quaint corner of Main and Cotton Street, Whirled Peace is the perfect place to satisfy your sweet tooth craving.

Jesse chose Manayunk for a number of reasons and out of his three locations he says, “I have three stores and this is the only one that has something this dominating for a whole weekend at least once a season. The thing I didn't know about when I opened up here was that there are festivals in Manayunk and they are so unique to this area. It’s great. It brings the whole community together and it also brings people from outside the community in.”

Events in Manayunk are not only great for business but are also a great time for Jesse to bring in new flavors and see how much people like it. He says that most of the flavors he brings in are based off of ideas from a suggestion box, and they try to change it up at least once a month. The flavors in the store depend on a number of factors including the time of year, holidays, and popular demand. Jesse tries his best to keep a variety of flavors in the store so that each customer can make their own frozen yogurt creation that fits their preference. Beyond frozen yogurt, Whirled Peace also offers make-your-own smoothies. Bringing in this product, Jesse hoped to let his customers get even more creative with their frozen treats. He says, “We are one of the very few places that do self-serve frozen yogurt and build-your-own smoothies. I thought about it because I like to be creative and I’m a very eclectic person. What I like one day isn’t necessarily what I like the next day and I figured if you give people the choice they will really surprise you. I wanted to further that feeling of creativity and experience. And I think the self-serve concept really lends itself to creativity, which is something that is definitely a part of Manayunk.”

As a sociology and environmental science double major, Jesse never had plans to own a business. But his personality and passion lead him to rethink where he wanted to go in terms of a career. He said, “I like people. I like talking to people and I like being involved in different parts of people’s lives. I didn’t want a conventional job. I didn’t want to sit in an office from 9-5 and work away my youth. I wanted to be involved. I wanted to give back to the community. I wanted my hard work to show on a personal level. So I guess the best place for me to be would be at the front of a company that interacts with people.” Jesse finds the work he does at Whirled Peace to be rewarding for countless reasons. “It’s not everyday you get to work at a place where people leave smiling and much happier than they came in,” he says. “It's fulfilling and I think that’s why I love it so much.”

Whirled Peace isn’t just another business interested in making a profit either. Rather they’re committed to giving back and being environmentally friendly. “We have a heart. Our mission statement is based on social and environmental responsibility,” says Jesse. “All of our cups, bowls, spoons, straws, lids, napkins - they’re all fully compostable at the very least fully recyclable, biodegradable. Our bowls and spoons are made of plant fibers so they break down into commercial landfill in about 6 months. So, it’s a way of not just giving back to the community but helping to give back to the environment. And set an example for other places to do the same. It’s not as hard as it looks to do it and it makes a much bigger impact than not doing. The positives greatly outweigh the negatives.” Not only is Whirled Peace environmentally conscious, they also do their best to give back to the community. “We do tons of fundraisers. We do philanthropy events for large and small organizations. We’ve done large events with Alex’s Lemonade, Charity Water, and Philabundance. Any way that we can give back for being able to make a living at giving back is a really good thing.”

When asked why he chose Manayunk for Whirled Peace, Jesse quickly responded, “Manayunk never gets old.” He continued, “The neighborhood is great. It’s full of young families and young people and even older people, but it’s also a really artsy neighborhood. It’s just full of artistic expression and it has been like that forever. And I thought what better place to open up a friendly, almost artistic version of a sundae shop?”

For more information on Whirled Peace, visit their website at www.whirledpeacefroyo.com.