It’s been quite a year for Jinie Ho, owner of Green Times Matcha. The business originated as a matcha cart, which opened last summer. The biz now pops up regularly at events across Oʻahu, including the Taste of Aloha Night Market, fishcake Honolulu and Pearl at Kalauao Night Market.
Green Times Matcha recently celebrated its first anniversary by hosting a joint celebration with Travie's Patties.
“We both originally had one of our first pop-ups together, and we kept running into each other at markets,” Jinie Ho says. “We both enjoyed each other’s products, so we thought, why not put two together and grow as a whole? The matcha-and-smashburger-combo is one of the best duos on Island. We celebrated it (our anniversary) at Pearl at Kalauao; we brought in our family, friends and regular customers, and released merch and new, exclusive flavors.”
Green Times Matcha is known for its matcha lattes, available in flavors like strawberry, earl grey and banana cream. The biz is featuring a mango matcha latte for Made in Hawaiʻi Festival; it’ll be available at the business’s regular booth (not at Kilo Summit).
“It’s like a dream to be a part of Made in Hawaiʻi Festival,” Ho says. “At the Kilo Summit, I’ll be doing a coconut cloud matcha, but with blue spirulina powder, to make it very pretty and ocean-like.”
The business’s mango matcha will be available with whole ($9) and oat ($10) milk. Green Times Matcha will be at Kilo Summit on all four days; from 6:30 to 10 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and from 8 a.m. until sold out on Saturday and Sunday.
“I’m looking forward to having an overall wonderful first-time experience,” Ho says. “It’s nothing like what I do regularly, so it’s definitely a challenge, but it keeps me motivated and pushes me to my limit. I’m excited to serve people from all over the State of Hawaiʻi. I’m ready to give a good quality product that’s made from the heart.”
As Green Times Matcha heads into its second year of business, Ho anticipates maintaining a busy schedule for pop-ups throughout the rest of the year. She’s also planning to open a café next May.
“Seeing familiar faces from my early days of doing pop-ups is always a highlight,” Ho says. “Sometimes, I get overwhelmed or a little burnt out from pop-ups not doing so well, or have a hard time doing preparation by myself. The support and love that I feel when I see people enjoying my drinks makes me love doing this.”
For updates and more information, follow the business on Instagram.
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
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