Weekly Pickups: Rehydrating bevs, salty cookies, and the new-old OLIPOP
Ft. Emily North
Welcome back to Weekly Pickups!
Thank you so much for all of the love on last week’s edition :) We’re loving this format, and can’t wait to continue sharing our favorite weekly finds with you.
This week, we’ve been thinking about…
Why we, as a society, stopped loving frozen yogurt. Customizable, high-protein (probably?), and an excuse to douse something in rainbow sprinkles?! I miss froyo. Bring her back. - Jenna
Where is our Picard?! Not Jean-Luc captain of the Enterprise Picard, but the frozen food-only grocery store from Paris. Frozen food is getting better and better every year, I think it’s time for a frozen food only store . - Nate
And now, onto our weekly pickups… →
Jenna’s Pickups
OLIPOP Orange Cream
Quick facts: OLIPOP just relaunched its best (IMO) flavor, which originally launched in 2021. Creamy, tangy, and *famously* high-fiber & low-sugar, this revived SKU steals the soda show.
Reasons to love:
Flavor. If you’re thinking “this probably just tastes like orange soda,” I challenge you to get your hands on one of these bad boys. These taste just like an orange creamsicle—a true sip of childhood popsicles on the beach, sans the sticky aftermath. Peep my reaction 👇
Launch strategy. This is a weird reason to love a product, but I am so excited by Orange Cream’s corresponding relaunch. On Monday, OLIPOP is introducing its first-ever soda drive-thru in LA. As someone who is conceptually obsessed with the idea of “dirty soda” (read: watched a lot of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives), I think it’s brilliant to capitalize on this trend with an experiential launch. Shocked it’s the first better-for-you soda brand to do so!
Where to buy: Online at drinkolipop.com and in retail doors nationwide.
VitaWild Daily Hydration
Quick Facts: Zero-sugar, low-calorie electrolyte mix that turns your boring water into lemonade and is packed with all of your daily vitamins!
Reasons to love:
All the stuff you (I) need. And none of the stuff you (I) don’t. This is a zero-sugar electrolyte mix made with no artificial sweeteners, additives, or preservatives (sweetened with stevia, which I happen to like, but I know isn’t everyone’s jam). And fun fact: This is the only hydration powder with a full daily dose of vitamin D, which, as an individual who spends the entire day clickity-clacking on a computer in the Northeast, feels important.
So refreshing. It’s just yummy? Unlike other electrolyte mixes, it doesn’t taste like salty sweat mixed with some vaguely fruity flavor. It just tastes like lemonade.
Where to buy: On VitaWild’s website and Amazon
Nate’s Pickups
OEM Rehydrating Drink
OEM is an interesting brand. While this pick is about their drink, they actually have a suite of products. They market themselves as a new drugstore developing tools for everyday ailments. Selling products including skincare, fragrances, and of course beverages. I remember first trying this at Expo West 2024, drawn to their futuristic booth branding.
I saw it again when I stopped into The Goods Mart to grab a drink on a walk and got to try it again! Better than I remember it, a very very tasty refreshing bevvie.
Quick Facts: An electrolyte and multivitamin infused (re)hydrating drink.
Reasons to love:
Super tasty liquid. The mild grapefruit flavor is really nice and tastes like an elevated Fresca almost
Calling it a rehydrating drink is spot on, I felt great after chugging this down.
Where to buy: Online and in select stores
Frollies (Watermelon) Ice Pops
This one is a super nostalgic pick for me. It’s a dupe of an incredible ice pop I always get when I’m in Israel.
It’s one of those treats I think about almost daily if I’m being honest. And this really scratches that itch.
Quick Facts: A delicious fruity ice pop with no artificial colors or flavors, made from real fruit juices! It’s got that texture that’s easy to chew or lick, but I chew. I got teeth of steel!
Reasons to love:
The texture is so nice to chew (I know some people think it’s crazy to chew ice cream but it’s my favorite)
Amazing flavors. It’s not just watermelon, these come in strawberry and pineapple!
Where to buy: Online and in select grocery stores
✨ Special Guest ✨ Emily North
Emily North is the radiant, incredibly chic, brilliant human behind angel cake, a hit lifestyle Substack with a special way of making readers feel seen. She also happens to be one of my dear high school friends <3 Emily has impeccable taste in everything from socks to snacks, and I knew she’d have a fantastic weekly pickup - Jenna
What was your favorite pickup this week? I have been disgustingly obsessed with Hot Take Dough, a bake-at-home frozen dough that is absolutely fantastic.
The founders are two cute sisters who I am very charmed by. Each cookie is the perfect size (big) and they really do bake to perfection, which is ideal for me (someone who is chronically helpless in the kitchen).
What about this product intrigued you? I’ve seen the founders on TikTok! I personally love cookies and cookie culture in general so I had to get in on it. I also in general love the idea of a single-serve cookie as someone who lives alone.
Where did you purchase it, and why that channel? I live near Pop-Up Grocer (editor’s note: MY FAVE!!) and I stopped in to buy an expensive sparkling water and ended up leaving with expensive sparkling water and expensive cookie dough. The purchase was driven out of impulse more than anything else (which describes majority of my purchases).
Why do you love it? My favorite part of the Salted Chocolate Chip is… obviously the salt. Those who know me know that I over-salt anything that I can and let me tell you, the salt on these cookies is top tier.
If you want to share a brand you’re loving for us to review, or if you have the perfect special guest in mind, email us: nate@expresscheckout.co and jenna@expresscheckout.co :)
I chatted with a stranger in the grocery store for 20+ minutes over our love for olipop orange cream & how thrilling it was to see it back on the shelves - such a fab relaunch campaign