School fundraiser treats turn into full-fledged business

Several years ago, some Big Island fifth graders made frozen pops for a school fundraiser using fresh lilikoi juice. The treats were so delectable they quickly earned the nickname “lilipops,” and Lilipops Hawaii was born.

“It was so delicious that it ended up in stores, and then we took it into a full-fledged business after that,” said Jean Mckeague, co-owner of the Big Island company she started with Suzette Ridolfi in 2016.

The women, then both teaching at the Hawaii Academy of Arts and Sciences Public Charter School, were raising funds to take their fifth graders to Maui. But Mckeague said she wanted to sell healthy alternatives to the usual candy bars or doughnuts. And most of all, she wanted the kids to work for their trip and sell something they could produce as part of the curriculum.

The mother of one student suggested making lilikoi-flavored ice pops, so the classes got involved in everything from planting and gathering lilikoi to handling myriad business details.

Lilipops’ primary mission is to fundraise with students, and they constitute a majority of its sales, though business has fallen off with schools closed because of the coronavirus.

“I love to fundraise with kids for any reason,” Mckeague said. The company has funded student trips as far away as New Zealand, Peru and Japan, as well as many jaunts to neighbor islands. It’s also helped school sports teams and clubs raise money.

The pops come in eight flavors: lilikoi, dragonfruit/lemon-lime, lemon-lime, hibiscus cooler, tangerine, coffee, green tea and pineapple. They were created by Mckeague after much experimentation with produce from farmer friends.

All pops are made with organic fruits, locally sourced whenever possible, organic sugar and water, and are free of preservatives or chemicals.

Lilipops retails its product on the Big Island at small mom-and-pop and natural food stores. It recently started shipping the pops to Kauai and welcomes orders from all islands. Each pops costs $3 at school fundraisers and up to $4.50 retail.

The company normally sells them wholesale for $2 each to stores, and only $1.50 to the schools, thus donating 50 cents per pop for fundraisers. It does not require money upfront from schools; they pay after they’ve sold a freezer-full of pops and usually re-order, she said.

Mckeague and Ridolfi now teach at different schools, but they also continue to operate another business venture they started in 2003, Let’s Go Pesto.

Mckeague’s son, Malama, joined them recently to take on most of the production and bookkeeping work, and scolds her for giving away profits to schools before they can afford it.

“But I really wanna help kids, so I give it away as we go,” she said. “My passion is fundraising with something healthy and getting kids to travel.”

Ice pops are just the beginning of all the other dreams Mckeague aspires to down the line.

One of them is opening a factory that hires teens for entry-level work. The jobs would come with counseling or “gently nudging” them to go to school to learn a trade they really love.

Another dream is to get kids working on the farms that source the factory, a way to get them interested in farming and strengthen local agriculture.

As a Waldorf-inspired teacher for 31 years, who believes in the learning process of thinking, feeling and doing, Mckeague’s devotion to guiding her students goes well beyond the classroom and fuels her business: “I do love kids!”

To order Lilipops, call 217-6030, email info@lilipops.com or visit lilipopshi.com.