Gastronome

Kona Latte
This pop includes organic Kona coffee, so maybe there’s enough caffeine to substitute this for a morning cup? I’d like to believe it is possible because it tasted exactly like a latte.

ONOPOPS
onopops.com

Summer is a good time of the year. It’s when life slows down a little to a comfortably languid pace. I have more time to experiment in the kitchen or finish a book, more sunny days for picnics, more everything.

But you know what I hate about summer? The heat. It’s been creeping up on us, too. I stepped outside earlier this week and felt a rush of heat hit my face, mugginess clinging to my skin and hair.

It made me instantly crave something cold, something refreshing. Specifically, I wanted an OnoPop.

I’m confident at this point that you’ve heard of OnoPops. Maybe you’ve even sampled one or two flavors — or at least I hope you have. Admittedly, I’ve been stuck in a rut, only going back and forth between two flavors I’ve loved from the get go: P to the O to the G and Strawberry Lemonade. It’s a shame, really, when you look at all the possibilities: Ume-Thai Basil, Orange Cinnamon, Mango Habanero-Lime, Guava Tamarind.

Pineapple Li Hing Mui
This was among the lightest of the pops, since it didn’t include any dairy. It also tasted exactly like crack seed, with bits of pineapple in every bite. Easy to eat and with just the right balance of salty and sweet.

So I decided to venture out a little. When OnoPops first debuted, I remember only being able to find it at farmers markets. Things have changed and now, according to the company’s website, you can find OnoPops at select Foodland and Safeway locations, and at other places like Whole Foods and Down To Earth. I happened to get mine at Honolulu Burger Company.

Without further ado, I present to you Jaimie’s Guide to Surviving Summer, One OnoPop at a Time.

Each OnoPop is made using only fresh, local ingredients — so much so that that all fruit used in its pops is cut by hand, and every flavor is created from scratch.

Salted Watermelon Cream
It’s an odd flavor to bite into at first — slightly salty watermelon. It works, somehow, though I wouldn’t say this is for everyone. Still, it’s worth a taste simply for the novelty of it.

P.S. Don’t throw your wrapper away immediately. You might notice that in addition to the flavor listed on front, each popsicle also comes with an illustrated character. So while you enjoy your pop, take the time to read the back. It includes the company’s mission, ingredients (a very short list since it’s all-natural) and a little anecdote about each character.

The More You Know

In 2009, Josh Lanthier-Welch was working as a chef in San Francisco when one day he got a call from his brother asking him to move back to Honolulu to help him open a gourmet popsicle company. Though he was skeptical, things worked out for Lanthier-Welch, who returned home that November. The following April, OnoPops LLC was born.

The driving philosophy behind OnoPops is rather simple: eat local, support local. It’s not difficult to do either, points out Lanthier-Welch, when Hawaii is surrounded by viable produce.

“When you live on a rich pocket of volcanic soil in the middle of a vast ocean, and you let people 3,000 miles away grow 90 percent of your food, you have made choices that make you either stupid or suicidal,” he says. “We knew we wanted our company to be part of the solution.”

Mexican Chocolate
This dark and rich pop is among my new favorites. Spiced with a touch of cinnamon and mild ancho chile powder, it had a very nuanced flavor I could not get enough of.

And while it may seem like there has been a decline in local agriculture — especially with Maui sugar production ending and farms on various islands closing — Lanthier-Welch remains hopeful. He points to a setback the company experienced when a fire destroyed its production kitchen last November as an example of this. While the fire gutted out the entire space, OnoPops has recently completed its restoration.

“Just as we were not defeated by the fire, we will not be defeated by these setbacks for Hawaii’s farmers,” he says. “We have kept our promise to our customers for over six years that all the dairy, sugar, fruit, chocolate and vanilla in our pops was grown in Hawaiian soil. We intend to continue keeping that promise, by any means necessary.”