Lola's Ice Pops, launched only two months ago by three young mothers - Julie Tuan Ru-yi, Sandra Wong Wing-yan and Vickie Hay - has already taken the outdoor fairs and pop-ups circuit by storm.
From classic combinations such as chocolate banana to the more adventurous mango and chilli, their artisan icicles meet demand for natural treats with no preservatives, stabilisers or other artificial ingredients. Aside from one-off public events, they also sell via their website, and cater for private events and custom orders.
Here, we speak to one of the founders, Julie Tuan.
If a child likes it, an adult will like it, but not the other way around
None of us have a food background. Sandra and I were both lawyers and Vickie has a marketing background. We met through our kids - they're all aged one month apart - at a playgroup. We were all out of work for the first time, raising kids, and we just decided to try doing something that's interesting and healthy.
Artisan ice pops are really popular elsewhere in the world. In the United States, you go to a park and someone will just show up with a freezer. But here it's hard because you need to get the proper licence.
We figured out the guys with the carts selling ice cream on the street had a licence, and they stopped giving those out in the 1980s. It's just virtually impossible for us to do a pop-up on the street in Hong Kong. We thought about doing it under the radar, but it's risky, and we have legal backgrounds, so we wanted to do everything the right way.