If you’re a popsicle fan, you’ll be happy to hear that we recently caught up with Mike Buchal, owner of Moko Pops. Keep reading to find out more about one of the coolest 100% Pure Kona Coffee race sponsors!
The year was 2015 and Mike was leasing greenhouse space from his friend, John Edney, who owned Tropical Dreams Ice Cream at the time.
“I was growing organic poha berries and selling them to Two Ladies Kitchen, Honomu Jams, and local farmers’ markets,” says Mike. “Then my father-in-law passed away, and my family and I spent several weeks settling his affairs in Jackson, Mississippi. It was mid-July, humid and HOT. As a respite from the heat, his neighbor recommended we check out a local spot, Deep South Pops, where we discover gourmet ice pops for the first time.”
Refreshed and inspired by the popsicles, Mike’s wife suggested introducing ice pops to the Big Island. After conducting a little research, Mike realized that although a few farmers’ markets were selling popsicles, no one on the island was wholesaling product into grocery stores or other venues.
“Not even Tropical Dreams was offering ice cream bars or single-serve treats. So I mentioned the idea to my friend, Ignacio, who had been helping out with the poha berries, and we decided to partner up in the gourmet popsicle business,” Mike shares. “John at Tropical Dreams was supportive. He saw the synergies we could bring to his operation and offered us the kitchen space. By 2016, Moku Pops was off and running!”
Friends and family helped come up with the “Moku Pops” name and island logo, and even assisted with production and packaging in the early days, laying the foundation for the home-grown, family-centered business. Moku means “district” or “island,” symbolizing that the popsicles are rooted in the islands.
By late 2016, after some experience selling at a farmer’s market and roadside, the bulk of Moku Pops’ marketing efforts were focused on building the wholesale business. The Four Seasons Hualalai and Foodland Mauna Lani were among the first customers to sell the locally-made product.
“We wanted to present bold, strong, tropical, and local flavors showcasing the main ingredient, which is why Moku Pops typically have only three or four ingredients, with the first ingredient being the featured flavor,” Mike explains. “And we expressed our mission to make delicious popsicles free from artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives using the taglines ‘Discover Flavor’ and ‘All-natural, all good!’”
For years, Mike and the Moku Pops’ ‘ohana painstakingly hand-labeled, filled, and sealed each popsicle wrapper. What started out as a 3-fluid ounce traditional popsicle wrapped for individual resale out of Moku Pops’ colorful logo freezers, however, evolved and grew over time. In 2020, a resort customer requested a smaller, individually wrapped product to give away as an amenity.
“This prompted us to offer a 1.2-fluid ounce popsicle or minipop. These proved difficult to produce in volume, especially in terms of hand-bagging and sealing the pops,” Mike says. “So in 2021, we purchased larger production equipment and also automated to replace the hand-bagging process and bring more Moku Pops to the island.”
Although initially challenging, Mike concedes that increasing automation was worth the struggle, equipping Moku Pops with the production capacity to meet customers’ product volume needs on the Big Island. Today, the Moku Pops ‘ohana is even exploring ways to bring their exotic popsicles to the other Hawaiian islands when they’re not busy participating in local events like the 100% Pure Kona Coffee 5k and Half Marathon.
“We have done a couple of events with Kona Brew, creating custom beer pops, as well as youth sports team events, and most recently a fundraiser for families impacted by the Maui wildfire,” Mike shares. In 2019, Pure Kona Coffee’s race director Keely McGee approached Moku Pops about purchasing popsicles for the event. The popsicles were a huge hit and when the race resumed in 2021 after going virtual during the pandemic, she reached out again and Moku Pops returned as a race sponsor.
“We have an employee who does the race too. We typically employ two to four people throughout the year,” says Mike. “A couple of our employees started when they were in high school and return to work summers when demand is at its peak. At one point, we had two sisters working for us whose mom, Iris, is a runner. Although her daughters have moved on to college, Iris now also works part time for Moku Pops and is our designated runner for the event!”
Naturally, we had to find out if Iris has any tips for fellow runners as they prepare for the 100% Pure Kona Coffee race and she was happy to share the following: Run your own race for your own goals and be sure to ask about the free Moku Pops at the finish line! Her favorite flavor is the delicious Kona Coffee popsicles, which we suspect is a favorite with many other runners as well. No matter what the flavor, Mike says that every year, they all disappear. There’s nothing quite like a refreshing gourmet popsicle to cool down once you cross the finish line!
“The Pure Kona Coffee 5k and Half Marathon are all about community, aloha, and connections. Although Keely lives in Hilo, we discovered that our next-door neighbor, Joe, is a long-time participant in the half marathon,” Mike says. “And he has been helping with transporting a freezer and popsicles to the event for a couple of years now. The race brings together people from all over the island in a collaborative effort that’s great to be a part of!”
Ready to be part of it and earn a Moku Pop for yourself? Online registration closes on November 2nd at midnight, so register now!