Market Basket
Nestle introduces Wonder Ball

The candy treats sell for $1.50 apiece and are in grocery stores now.

Kona coffee hana hou

Hawaii Coffee Co. has introduced a new "30 Kona Premium Blend" of coffees in three different roasts (mountain, Vienna and French) as well as two flavors (vanilla macadamia nut and chocolate macadamia nut). The coffees are packaged in bright green, 7-ounce vacuum packs featuring a hula dance on the label.

The company, which also produces the Royal Kona and Lion Coffee brands, developed the products primarily for the Japanese tourist market, which wanted a higher percentage of Kona coffee in the blends than is usually offered (10 percent is common). The coffee will be widely available, selling for about $5 for the 7-ounce package.

Pop goes the yogurt

Yogurt makes a great snack food, but it can be a little messy. Now Yoplait has introduced Expresse, a spoon-free yogurt in a squeezable tube. The taste resembles that of spoonable yogurt, but the texture is a bit more firm.

Expresse is found in the refrigerated section in packs of eight 2.25-ounce tubes per box and four different flavors (strawberry, peach, raspberry, mixed berry), but it can be frozen and popped into a lunch sack or briefcase to thaw out for later snacking. Suggested retail is just over $2.50 per box. Each tube has 70 calories and 1.5 grams of fat.

Joan Namkoong is on leave of absence; her colleagues in the Island Life section are preparing the Market Basket column. Send shopping queries and new product information to: Market Basket, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802. Fax: 525-8055. E-mail: islandlife@honoluluadvertiser.com.