WOOD RIVER - Curt Jones, inventor of Dippin’ Dots, stopped by Hit n Run in Wood River Saturday afternoon to showcase his newest creation, 40° Below Joe.
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40° Below Joe features a unique new approach to coffee with a specially designed frozen coffee and creamer beads made with nondairy coconut and almond milk. Jones added that edible frozen coffee serving contains as much caffeine as a cup of espresso.
Although Jones sold the Dippin’ Dots company, he said decided to get back into frozen treats once he began thinking about coffee and espresso in a non-traditional way.
“It’s just something that always intrigued me and I wanted to follow up with it,” he said. “When we started thinking about doing it in an edible form it became more exciting because it’s kind of creating a new category if you will.”
Currently, there are four different flavors available including House Blend, Hazelnut, Vanilla and French Vanilla, each made with frozen coffee beads from fresh roasted South American Arabica beans.
“We’re starting to put the product out in the St. Louis area,” Jones said. “They're available at the Hit n Run stores in the Alton area. In Nashville, Tennessee, we’ve got probably ten locations and the University in Phoenix. Of course, the Midwest will be where we put a lot of energy over the next few months.”
Jones said there’s already been a lot of exciting and positive feedback for the product.
“We’re excited,” Jones added. “It’s just like Dippin’ Dots was the new way to eat ice cream, this is the new way to get your coffee. To bring coffee out in this form, I think, has created some excitement.”
