Customers and workers of popular frozen yogurt shops reveal why the trend is rapidly spreading through the city. A new tasty fad is growing in major cities nationwide, and it’s offering competition to coffee and ice cream shops.
Frozen yogurt – called “froyo” or “frogurt” – originated in 1970s New England. Made from milk and yogurt, frozen yogurt is a low-fat alternative that does not include the heavy cream found in ice cream.
“It tastes like ice cream,” frozen yogurt fan Mario Lenihon-Clock said. “But it’s lighter and does not give you a stomachache afterwards.”
With so many frozen yogurt shops popping up around the city, differences among them can be difficult to identify.
Out of three frozen yogurt shops that opened since summer 2010 – Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt at 1315 Walnut St., Yogurt City at 1306 Chestnut St. and Berry Sweet at 901 South St. – all price yogurt at $0.49 an ounce. All three offer a variety of toppings, including fruits, cookie dough bits and cereals. Some stores offer machines that enable customers to mix and match their choice of flavors. All flavors are either low- or non-fat.
Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt offers more than 50 flavors that change on a daily basis, including pomegranate, peanut butter, mint chocolate and lactose-free orange sorbet. Dispensers with different types of cereal toppings line the walls of Tutti Frutti, which also offers cream puffs and a selection of other desserts.
According to Tutti Frutti worker Dan Whelon, the real difference in the yogurt at Tutti Frutti is its healthiness.
“I started coming here because it was recommended,” said Amber Wilde, a returning Tutti Frutti customer. “[It’s] cheap, and my friend and I could both get something we liked. It was nearby and is also so tasty and nonfat.”
Yogurt City has its own reasons to keep customers coming back. Each flavor – including Irish mint, coffee, peach, white chocolate, cheesecake and cookies and cream – is gluten-free, calcium-fortified and kosher. Yogurt City also specializes in smoothies and bubble tea, offering the tapioca “bubbles” as a frozen yogurt topping as well.
Yogurt City displays nutritional information for its customers, with each half-cup of yogurt listed at 90 calories.
According to cashier Linda Liu, Yogurt City serves real frozen yogurt, not powdered yogurt like some stores.
Yogurt City customer Ted Simpson said the shop is his favorite because of its low prices, close proximity and varying selection.
“They’re always changing flavors, and it’s right near the Broad Street subway line,” he said. “It’s easy to get to, and they give you a coupon for 50 percent off your purchase.”
Simpson, who said he would pick Yogurt City over other frozen yogurt places and called the employees “very friendly,” couldn’t pick a favorite flavor because he likes mixing them all.
Like Yogurt City, Berry Sweet offers nutritional information – 90 calories for three ounces of frozen yogurt – and a variety of flavors, including some unique ones like country vanilla, birthday cake, New York cheesecake, blueberry and dairy-free mango. As for toppings, the store offers cheesecake bits, a selection of nuts, Raisinettes and Peanut M&M’s.
“I love the location of Berry Sweet,” customer Teresa Tamin said. “I’m also a big fan of their birthday cake flavor. It tastes like whipped cream.”
Despite little variation or price among the three, the frozen yogurt shops attract their own dedicated fan bases. Customers agreed frozen yogurt is growing in popularity in Philadelphia because it is a healthy but sweet delight.
Ice cream company TCBY noticed that consumers were in the market for a healthier product that still tasted like ice cream. So they opened their first frozen yogurt shop in 1981, and by 1984 there were more than 100 frozen yogurt chains nationwide.
Customers and workers of popular frozen yogurt shops reveal why the trend is rapidly spreading through the city. A new tasty fad is growing in major cities nationwide, and it’s offering competition to coffee and ice cream shops.
Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt offers more than 50 flavors that change on a daily basis, including pomegranate, peanut butter, mint chocolate and lactose-free orange sorbet. Dispensers with different types of cereal toppings line the walls of Tutti Frutti, which also offers cream puffs and a selection of other desserts.
“I started coming here because it was recommended,” said Amber Wilde, a returning Tutti Frutti customer. “[It’s] cheap, and my friend and I could both get something we liked. It was nearby and is also so tasty and nonfat.”
Yogurt City displays nutritional information for its customers, with each half-cup of yogurt listed at 90 calories.
“I love the location of Berry Sweet,” customer Teresa Tamin said. “I’m also a big fan of their birthday cake flavor. It tastes like whipped cream.”
Frozen Yogurt Then and Now – Frozen Yogurt in the 70‘s First served on the US’s east coast, frozen yogurt was introduced to limited success in the 1970s. A man named H. P. Hood introduced a soft-serve frozen dessert he dubbed “Frogurt” and in 1978, Brigham’s ice cream shop in Boston developed and introduced the first packaged frozen yogurt under the product name “Humphreez Yogart.” The most popular frozen yogurt was introduced by the Dannon Yogurt company. They packaged frozen raspberry yogurt covered with dark chocolate served on a stick.
– Frozen Yogurt in the 90’s The New York Times reported that 177 million gallons of frozen yogurt was produced in the US in 1990. This frozen treat business continued to grow and sales reached $330 million; representing a solid 10% of the frozen dessert market.
What is Frozen Yogurt? Frozen yogurt is a frozen dessert made with cultured milk known as yogurt. It differs from ice cream in that it usually has a tarter flavor and is lower in fat. A frozen yogurt shop will usually offer several different flavors of frozen yogurt and provide a variety of toppings for you to create your own custom desert.
Clearly, frozen yogurt has presented a wonderful opportunity for many entrepreneurs and continues to show strength. Location and business know how, of course, play a big roll in the success of any business, but many new entrepreneurs are finding great results here. If you are considering cashing in on the dessert’s success by opening your own frozen yogurt shop, consider purchasing a frozen yogurt business plan template. A frozen yogurt business plan can help you decipher the market data that you need in order to take advantage of this growing industry.
– Frozen Yogurt in the New Millennium. The frozen yogurt business began to wane a bit in the late 1990’s and early in the new millennium but around 2005 the dessert started to become popular again. Frozen yogurt manufacturers went back to more classily tart flavors and yogurt shops started providing a multitude of topping choices. This new type of shop brought new life into the frozen yogurt market and the industry has continued to thrive. 2012 estimated sales are more than $2.5 billion dollars.
The Real Reason Why Frozen Yogurt Chains Are Disappearing
FAQ
When did frozen yogurt become a thing?
What is the trend in frozen yogurt?
Why do people eat frozen yogurt?
Who eats the most frozen yogurt?
When did frozen yogurt become popular?
The popularity for this dessert didn’t stop in the 1980s. By the 90s, frozen yogurt accounted for 10% of the entire frozen dessert market. After its rise to popularity in the 1980s, this frozen dessert underwent a bit of a renaissance in the 21st century thanks in large part to Pinkberry, which opened its first store in 2005.
What are the healthiest brands of yogurt?
I usually recommend natural yogurts (which only have 2 or 3 ingredients), and several brands have this version, such as Vigor, Batavo, Yorgus. Another very healthy type of yogurt is skyr, which has more proteins, and in this case the best brands are: Atilatte and Moo. In addition to these, I like to indicate the brands Verde Campo and YoPRO.
Who invented frozen yogurt?
H.P. Hood is credited with developing the first frozen yogurt in the 1970s in the United States as a soft-serve treat called “Frogurt.” Frozen yogurt is a frozen dessert made of yogurt and other dairy, and sometimes non-dairy, products. Frozen yogurt is similar to ice cream in look, texture, and flavor and is usually soft served.
Why choose old fashioned frozen yogurt?
We believe in old fashioned values; that simple, great ingredients, a little elbow grease and a smile make the tastiest treats. We have been hand crafting goodness since 2008 and are proud to be San Francisco’s favorite frozen yogurt experience.