The Ohana Behind the Aloha
The people who
broke da mouth.
Hawaiian Licks isn’t a brand that happened by accident. It’s a small, ferocious team turning plant-based dessert into a category — one reorder, one freezer, one island at a time.
Ariel Shumar
Ariel is a marketing powerhouse with 25+ years of experience shaping major brands — from Mercedes-Benz and Cartoon Network to General Motors and Fox Interactive. In 2018, she traded ad campaigns for ice cream churns and launched the original Hawaiian Licks in Hilo, HI. Ariel cracked the code on plant-based ice cream, solving the industry’s biggest challenges — texture and taste — while building the vibrant brand, culture, and community that made Hawaiian Licks a local legend. Now she’s back, bringing her creative fire and deep marketing chops to scale Hawaiian Licks into the best plant-based ice cream on the market.
Duana Guenard
Founder & COO
Duana brings serious leadership chops and a true entrepreneur’s spirit to the Hawaiian Licks team. She has a history of turning concepts into real companies and growing them into thriving ventures. Strategy, relationship-building, and relentless follow-through — that’s her wheelhouse. She’s guided organizations across the spectrum: nonprofits, scrappy start-ups, and multinational corporations. She’s also served on multiple civic boards and held leadership roles in several professional organizations, always bringing clarity, direction, and momentum. The moment Ariel shared the Hawaiian Licks story — and handed her a spoon — Duana was all in. As she puts it, Hawaiian Licks “had me at the first spoonful.”
Luanne Teoh
Founder·Guidance & Mentorship
Luanne Teoh is a seasoned entrepreneur with a proven track record of starting businesses from concept and bootstrapping them to seven figures. Having successfully built two seven-figure businesses and building her third, Hawaiian Licks marks her fourth venture — and perhaps her most delicious one yet. Originally a daily customer of the brand, Luanne fell in love with Hawaiian Licks for a simple reason: it solved the “vegan ice cream problem” for those who are lactose intolerant. While most plant-based desserts lack creaminess and flavor, Hawaiian Licks delivers a rich, indulgent experience that rivals traditional dairy.
We are proudly trans, LGBTQIA+, minority, immigrant & women-owned