Inventors aiming for loads of lolly

By IRENE CHAPPLE

An e-venture with more bounce than bust has been launched in New Zealand.

The epop, an energy-giving lollipop, is being touted by inventors Gerard Anselmi and Robert Hamlin as an upcoming favourite for the youth market.

The two go gooey when asked about their world first.

"It really gives you a lift," enthuses Anselmi. "And it lasts for hours."

It has taken them almost a year to perfect the little suckers, including months of eating up to 15 lollipops a week to find the right taste.

The idea came at a party in Piha, as Anselmi supped at an energy drink and a friend sucked a lollipop. Combining the two popular products would surely be a hit, they mused.

The idea consumed the entrepreneurs well through the night and into the next day.

They searched the internet, believing such a product would be out there somewhere, but found nothing.

A lawyer did a patent search, with no results. The epop, say Anselmi and Hamlin, is unique, and they intend to patent it.

The pair say the project to date has cost around $100,000, with $15,000 recouped through a development grant from Industry New Zealand.

Of an initial 50,000 epop run, around 10,000 are with distributors, selling for about $2.20 each.

Five thousand epops have been given away in promotions, and 30,000 of them are choking up the hallways of epop's Pukekohe base.

"Feedback from distributors has been positive," says Anselmi. "It has been well-received by the youth market, but it's still too early to assess epop's potential."

The epop profile will be raised this year with an advertising campaign.

The lollipops contain 60 per cent of B vitamin daily requirements, guarana, taurine and caffeine.

And the fluorescent-green lollipop sticks are a direct wink at the clubbers' market - where glowsticks are favoured toys.

"We saw the product as energetic, but also as innovative, youthful and fun," says Hamlin.

Not too much, though - recommended dosage is three epops a day.