Every now and then, something rare and radiant makes a comeback—not because it’s easy, but because it’s worth it. Tropic Butterfly is one of those pops.
With swirls of salted vanilla and butterfly pea flower ribboned into layers of Govinda orange juice, sun-ripened lilikoi and mango, and flecked with chunks of cream cheese, this pop is more than a treat—it’s a story. It’s a symbol of what happens when inspiration meets obsession… and when a good idea is chased until it becomes a great one.
We like to call it one of the O.G. forever flavors, but truth is—it was also the first to become no longer forever. Because while it absolutely rose to the challenge of delivering creamy, dreamy complexity, it also demanded a level of time, care, and pricey local ingredients that made it almost impossible to keep in regular rotation. So now, it only returns when the mangoes are perfect, the schedule allows, and we are inspired to revisit something a little magical.
“Do you remember the Orange Dream smoothie from Jamba Juice? I couldn't get enough of them!” says Justin Udom, founder of Pop Culture Artisan Pops. “It was so simple, but so good. That classic mix of orange and cream was nostalgic, refreshing, and somehow luxurious. I thought—what if we tried to make that into a pop, but give it our own twist? Not just copy it, but elevate it.”
But, Justin didn’t want to take shortcuts. “If we were going to do a creamsicle-style pop, it had to feel like ours. That meant starting with fresh, local fruit. The Govinda orange juice had the perfect balance of brightness, and pairing it with local mango and lilikoi brought in these tropical layers of acidity and sweetness. Then we added real vanilla bean, cream cheese for that cheesecake-y body, and finished it with butterfly pea flower and a touch of salt to round it out. It was our first real experiment in multi-layered pops—and it was complex. Like, really complex.”
The process involved multiple bases, pouring techniques, and ingredients that pushed the limits of small-batch production. “It is our most technical and laborious pop to make,” Justin laughs. “But when I bit into it—man, it tasted like summer, like nostalgia, like a tropical daydream. It was the pop that made me believe we could do anything. But it also made me realize that ‘anything’ doesn’t always mean ‘every week.’”
And so Tropic Butterfly quietly retired from the regular lineup—until now.
This summer, it returns to the Pop Culture booth at the Kakaʻako Farmers Market, only while supplies last. It’s still as time-intensive and ingredient-sensitive as ever. And that’s exactly what makes it special.
Because every pop tells a story. This one tips a hat to mango season arriving early this year, and a smoothie that sparked a masterpiece.
Find Tropic Butterfly at the Kakaʻako Farmers Market this Saturday.
Only available in small batches while supplies last!
FIND US:
📍 Kakaʻako Farmers Market
⏰ 8 AM – 12 PM
🦋 Tropic Butterfly available in extremely limited batches!
