Benni Pops is a husband-and-wife–founded brand based in Santa Cruz, California, creating dairy-free frozen desserts with thoughtfully sourced, 100% USDA organic ingredients packaged in a home compostable bag. Their recipes are simple, balanced, and sweetened just enough with honey.
Each frosty pop includes a complementary adaptogen, chosen to support the experience without getting in the way of flavor. It’s a thoughtful extra benefit tucked in.
Benni Pops believes desserts can make you feel good—inside and out. That means real ingredients, no shortcuts, and no unwanted additives. They are made for everyday snacking—an afternoon treat, something sweet after dinner, a freezer staple you can feel good about reaching for.
Founding Story
Meet Katie and Paul, a duo fueled by curiosity, creativity, and a deep-rooted love for mushrooms, flavor, and the natural world. From their home base in Santa Cruz, California, they immersed themselves in the wild and wonderful world of fungi—learning, foraging, cultivating, and experimenting since 2013. What began as a passion project in their tiny home kitchen soon became a mission: craft popsicles that are as craveable as they are nourishing. They weren’t classically trained chefs but they were obsessed with real food, bold flavor, and better-for-you ingredients.
Katie brings 18 years of experience in brand strategy, luxury CPG marketing, and food packaging design. Paul adds 12 years of deep hands-on expertise in mushroom cultivation, wild foraging, and product innovation. Together, they’ve blended culinary curiosity with functional ingredients to create something truly original: Benni Pops.
Katie Sarna is the Co-Founder and CEO of Benni Pops, a Santa Cruz–based brand redefining frozen treats with organic, dairy-free pops infused with adaptogens. With 18 years of experience spanning luxury CPG, beauty and fashion, she has built a career at the intersection of brand building, content marketing, and food packaging. Before launching Benni Pops, she worked across creative and marketing teams for brands including Sephora, Verve Coffee Roasters, Clarisonic, e.l.f cosmetics and 100% Pure, developing campaigns and partnerships.
Paul Lazazzera is the Co-Founder of Benni Pops, the Santa Cruz–based brand redefining frozen treats with organic, dairy-free pops infused with adaptogens. A lifelong learner and the brand’s resident mushroom expert, Lazazzera has spent the past 13 years growing, foraging, and studying fungi. Before launching Benni Pops, he spent over a decade as an educator. Today, he brings that same curiosity and craftsmanship to creating functional, feel-good frozen treats that inspire joy and connection.
