Kristie HangIf you’re a super-healthy Angeleno craving something sweet and cold — and you want it pronto — it’s time to rejoice: Ice cream company Enjoyer will deliver handmade popsicles and ice cream bars to your door. Enjoyer makes a variety of vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free frozen treats using organic ingredients and fresh-pressed juices from local farmers market fruit.
Co-owner Virginijus Vytartas, a native Lithuanian, went vegan four years ago and realized there were few healthy options out there for ice cream and popsicles — thus an idea was born. He partnered with childhood friend Paul Zemaitis and began to experiment with recipes in Lithuania.
The two eventually made their way to Italy to nail down recipes and learn techniques from experts. After arriving in Los Angeles, they hit on their perfect formulation, after adjusting for differences in California water, milk and virtually every other ingredient.
Co-founder Paul Zemaitis on his way to a delivery; Credit: Kristie Hang
Enjoyer’s bars are made every day in a kitchen in downtown Los Angeles. Although it operates two storefronts — one in the Glendale Galleria and the other in Westfield Topanga Village — Enjoyer’s actual operation is quite small. Virginijus runs the web and marketing aspects of the business, while Zemaitis and two other staff members head the production side, cranking out 400 to 500 bars daily (they usually sell out by evening). Zemaitis shops daily for fresh fruit and makes most of the deliveries to customers himself.
“Our bars contain fresh fruit, never frozen. Each bar is made of 70 percent fruit,” Zemaitis says. “It tastes like you’re eating a whole fruit, whereas other bars taste icy, like they are diluted. For example, for every 10 mango bars we produce, we use about five whole mangos.”
Topping a pistachio bar, one of Enjoyer's top-selling flavors; Credit: Kristie Hang
Every morning at 8 a.m., the team cuts up pounds of fresh fruit before mixing and blending nuts and other ingredients for each flavor. Each batch is transferred to molds, frozen and then dipped into various toppings.
Enjoyer’s menu offers 23 flavors, including pistachio, avocado, passion fruit, and mojito with cucumbers, along with a handful of seasonal ones that rotate depending on available ingredients. Many new flavor ideas come from customers, such as “hemp protein bar,” after patrons from a gym next door to one of the shops requested a flavor that would complement workouts.
Zemaitis’ latest creations include kombucha-blueberry and lavender-blueberry, and plans are underway to launch a nondairy “vegan gelato,” creamy bars made with cashew, almond, soy or coconut milk.
Of all Enjoyer's bars, the fruit flavors are standouts — they’re like eating an actual piece of fruit, and they're not too sweet, with a creamy, slow-to-melt texture.
At Glendale Galleria and Westfield Topanga Village.
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