Minneapolis ice-pop producer 10,000 Licks wants you to help launch its fledgling business through a Kickstarter online-fundraising campaign. "We think we've got the makings of a successful business," says cofounder Andi McDaniel in the campaign's video, as fanciful cartoon ice pops dance across the Stone Arch Bridge, the Minneapolis skyline and the whiskers of a nonplussed cat. "One that would bring joy and whimsy and nostalgia and just sweetness to Minnesota in the summertime."

We met up with McDaniel and her partner in ice pops, Sarah Newberry, at the Fulton Farmers Market. It was their first day at market, and -- excessive heat, passing thunderstorms and a few icebox issues notwithstanding -- things were going well. We enjoyed a lightly sweet, refreshing watermelon-mint pop, a lush strawberry-basil pop (more basil, please!) and a creamy blueberry-lemongrass pop. However, our favorite was the ginger-cantaloupe, which was slightly sweet with a sly, spicy heat from the ginger. Like a good, homemade sorbet, all of the pops tasted just like their fruits -- flavors that were enhanced rather than enveloped by sweeteners.

"Ice pops are simple and nostalgic and fleeting," says McDaniel. "We had someone refer to our sweet-corn pop as 'summer on a stick.' That should be our tagline; it embodies summer. It's not like hot dish, it's not complicated, it's simple and it delivers."

McDaniel and Newberry both have day jobs -- journalist and music therapist, respectively -- so they've had to bring 10,000 Licks to life in the in-between times, making licensing calls at lunch and testing recipes and blogging at night and on weekends. They produce the pops in the shared kitchen at Thuro Bread in St. Paul, and they locally source as much of their organic fruit as they can -- through farmers markets and co-ops, and the rest through Upper Midwest organics distributor Co-op Partners.

"I love the traditional four seasons and really celebrate all of them," says McDaniel. "The ice pops grew out of that.

"Well, it's a combination of loving weird flavors of ice cream and appreciating that summer is so short here and so spectacular. Pops are an easy way to capitalize on our short growing cycle and really good produce."

McDaniel and Newberry believe funky flavors, quality pops and local spirit will carry the company. "Starting out, we thought, 'Wouldn't it be awesome if there was a company in the Twin Cities making popsicles out of fresh, local ingredients? I guess we'll have to do it!'" says McDaniel. "So we're kind of saying to our community, if you think it would be cool to have this, too, support us -- and we'll be here for you down the road."