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From One Shop to Statewide Success<\/b><\/p>\n
La Pale Frozen Fruit Bar began as a small ice cream shop in Brownsville, inspired by their family\u2019s long history in the ice cream business. Gerardo, co-owner of La Pale, comes from a family that has owned over 30 ice cream shops across the United States and Mexico since the 1930s. When he and his wife Daisy launched their own business in 2019, they combined that family tradition with their own vision to bring something special to the community. The name \u201cLa Pale,\u201d short for \u201cLa Paleter\u00eda\u201d or \u201cLa Paleta,\u201d represents their connection to both their family background and the culture of the Valley.<\/span><\/p>\n What started as a local shop soon grew into something much bigger. La Pale now produces signature mini paletas that are sold in H-E-B stores across Texas, with plans to expand distribution nationwide. A big part of that growth came from support through the eBridge Fund. Daisy first discovered the opportunity while looking for ways to grow the business through the Startup Texas<\/a> program. She saw the fund as a chance to take a step back and think more strategically about the future of the business.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Scaling Up and Finding New Opportunities<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cWe had been running the business and doing things without a clear plan,\u201d<\/b> Daisy said. <\/span>\u201cThe eBridge Fund<\/a> helped us plan out our next steps and finally scale.\u201d<\/b> That plan included investing in new equipment that allowed them to manufacture at a much larger scale. This was a key step in meeting grocery store requirements and increasing their distribution across Texas.<\/span><\/p>\n