Manoa-based Choco lea is known for its locally and freshly made artisan dark chocolate truffles. But last year, the business debuted a new treat that soon became a hot commodity.
The Choco lea soft cream was introduced to the public last March. It’s made with Hokkaido milk powder to replicate the creamy, delicious soft serve from Japan, in both appearance, taste and texture. Choose from Hokkaido cream vanilla, Choco lea chocolate or a swirl. Each dessert comes topped with housemade chocolate syrup and sprinkles.
The soft cream was put on hold during the holiday season, but it’s back in store this month, according to owner and CCO (chocolate connections officer) Erin Kanno Uehara. She says that she had been wanting to create a soft cream for about five years, ever since stores like Yami Yogurt and TCBY went out of business.
“Something about the soft cream in Japan had a flavor and texture to it that I really, really loved and didn’t see in Hawaii,” she says. “I knew I wanted to create the best soft cream available on the island that would represent or give you that nostalgia and flavor profile of what I experienced in Japan.
“It was something that has always been on the list to do, but it had to be done right,” she adds. “We do research and development every single week. We put a lot of our resources into innovation, creating unique products, things that are not available anywhere in the world, things that we created from scratch, in-house.”
One of the business’s artisan chocolatiers, Kotomi Ishikawa, is originally from Hokkaido and was tasked with the goal of creating a soft cream recipe from scratch that would taste like the Japanese treat.
“Kotomi led the research on this and said it was so, so much fun,” Kanno Uehara says. “She calls the machine her baby and this dessert is her pride and joy. She really wanted to focus on the texture and the taste — she wanted it to be smooth, milky and silky. We did so many re-doings of the recipe until we hit that exact smoothness, texture, taste, milkiness and creaminess.”
The soft cream was put on pause during the holidays so the business could keep up with increased seasonal orders. Now that it’s back, the popular treat will be available for the rest of the year, according to Kanno Uehara.
“Everything that we make here is from scratch on-site — all of the chocolate, soft cream, chocolate drink,” she says. “When the demand for our chocolates and products go way up, the demand is always greater than the supply. Building the soft cream up from scratch takes a lot more labor and preparation. We hope we can keep the soft cream up through Christmas, so that’s why we are hiring and trying to build up our team to be able to satisfy the demand.
Creating a fun, delicious treat was just part of the inspiration behind the soft cream, though. The product ties in with the business’s mission statement of connecting through chocolate.
“We invested money into renovating our shop; we made a really nice outdoor area,” Kanno Uehara says. “I always envisioned to see people come and not only get chocolate gifts and leave, but I wanted people to sweeten their relationships. Manoa Valley is gorgeous — we have green mountain views, sometimes rainbows, sometimes blue skies. I wanted to have something refreshing and cold that people could enjoy outside, sit down, talk story and build those connections.”
CONTACT
Choco lea Hawaii
2909 Lowrey Ave., Honolulu
808-371-2234
chocolea.com
Instagram: @chocoleahawaii
Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
