When Chris and Sarah Gleason were first coming up with an idea for a seasonal snack stand to run out of their recently purchased home in downtown Blue Hill, they started with its name — and more largely, its vibe.
“We wanted to create a place, first, where people could hang out,” Chris Gleason recalled. “And I came up with the name: The Blue Chill.”
They then decided what The Blue Chill would serve, based in part on the large chest freezer that had been left behind by the previous owner of their home at 4 Parker Point Rd., just across from the town library. They also wanted to get their four kids — ages 7 to 13 — involved in running it, which ruled out more complicated offerings like ice cream or smoothies.
“Popsicles ended up being at the top of the list,” Chris Gleason said. “It’s easy for them to grab a pre-wrapped popsicle.”
Now, the Gleasons are in their second summer of running The Blue Chill, where the frozen pops come in a wide range of flavors that includes blueberry lemonade, cherry limeade, chocolate sea salt, and — among their most popular offerings — horchata cookies and cream.
The Gleasons craft their popsicles in a commercial-grade kitchen at the Halcyon Grange #345. They use local, organic and fresh ingredients whenever possible, creating a mix for each flavor that they pour into stainless steel molds that can be frozen with a standard wooden popsicle stick. Each pop is then wrapped in compostable packaging.
Some of their other unique offerings include lime mint, pineapple habanero, blood orange creamsicle and mango con chile. They rotate in some of the choices, based on what ingredients are in season — they did a recent run of strawberry rhubarb — and what appears to be in demand.
“I like to collaborate a lot with our customers, so if people have different popsicle ideas, or have an idea for different things to feature in a popsicle, I’ll try to make it happen,” Chris Gleason says. “A lot of our pops are things that have come from customers.”
The pops vary in price from $3.50 for some of the simpler fruit-based ones, to $5 for those that incorporate cream, coffee or other extra ingredients, according to a recent menu posted on The Blue Chill’s Instagram account.
While the popsicles can be ordered to go, the business also includes the space for hanging out that its creators had first envisioned: an outdoor seating area with umbrellas, picnic tables and chairs, and a small camper where movies can be played for kids and games can be found. They sometimes have live music as well.
Originally from Georgia, the Gleasons moved to Maine in 2020, after a long road trip, and came to Blue Hill in 2022. They also work in real estate, and Chris does substitute teaching and coaching at the local schools.
In starting their popsicle business, they “weren’t trying to come in and bring things from the outside,” Chris Gleason said, but rather to embrace the model that many Maine families have adopted of selling pies, produce and other homemade goods in small stands on the side of the road.
“That attitude and atmosphere is what we wanted to do, to be a part of,” he went on. “I think that’s not something you see in a lot of places, anymore. It’s great that it exists here, and it’s great that it’s supported.”
The Blue Chill is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on every day but Sunday, according to its website. It’s a seasonal business and will generally be open from spring to early fall.
