Koko Company mats are stylish seats in the sun

One of the hottest imports in Fremont has nothing to do with food, but will nonetheless infuse your next picnic on the beach with a hint of the exotic.

The Koko Company's Indian-made woven beach mats at Burnt Sugar come in two-tone, candy-colored schemes: sky blue and orange, lime green and purple, and yellow and bubblegum pink. Each plastic mat measures 6 1/2 feet by 2 1/2 feet and fits neatly into its own cotton tote bag. (Enterprising packers might attempt to slip reading materials and sunscreen in with it.)

While the prospect of a synthetic seat in the sun may seem a potentially sticky proposition, the upside of the $45 warm-weather mat is that it's durable, quick to dry and portable. And when the sun goes south for the fall and winter (and, let's be honest, spring), it could double as a hall runner -- not to mention a reminder of summer's warm glow.