Friday, June 7, 2019

Yoga-urt Brings Organic, Plant-Based, Hand Crafted Froyo to Echo Park, Los Angeles – Grand Opening This Weekend





Fro-yo girl here. Yoga-urt just opened their 2nd location in Echo Park (2211 W Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA). The grand opening is this weekend, June 8-9, from 1 PM – 11 PM. The flavor line-up is still being finalized but the Thai Iced Tea flavor will be back. And the purple sprinkles are new. Yes, there will be free froyo - get a complimentary mini from 2 PM - 4 PM on both days. 



If you love delicious froyo or soft serve that’s made from scratch with love, this is your place. Yoga-urt checks all the boxes: organic, vegan, kosher, soy free, gluten-free, all-natural, probiotic, hand-crafted, small batch, woman-owned, and eco-conscious. While their froyo is “free” of many things, it is flat out incredible – fresh and full of flavor. 

The first Yoga-urt location opened in Kenneth Village (Glendale, CA) in July 2015. The two locations are very similar, including the inspirational quotes and the zen-like vibe. The Echo Park location has a larger kitchen, including an oven.

Yoga-urt founder, Melissa Schulman, was inspired to combine her passion for yoga and frozen yogurt back in 2014. She wanted to create a healthier, allergy-friendly, plant-based frozen yogurt for yogis – something organic, soy-free, gluten-free, kosher, and all natural. Schulman joked that everyone can enjoy Yoga-urt except “for those with nut allergies.”

They start by making their own almond milk, crafting their froyo base out of almond milk and cashews, and adding probiotics. They don’t take shortcuts. For example, to make their Cookies & Cream flavor, they bake their own cookies because the cookies on the market don’t meet their criteria of being organic, plant-based, kosher, gluten-free, soy-free, etc. Their cookies and pie crusts are made with almond flour, a byproduct of their almond milk. The cones are handmade on site and the sauces are made in house.

Most flavors were inspired by what her friends and family liked and she’s still collecting flavor ideas using social media. There are some exceptions though. Purple Power was inspired by the color purple, Melissa’s favorite color, and the desire to have a purple colored soft serve for their second anniversary. For Ganesha’s Sweet Greens, a no sugar added flavor made with spinach, kale, pineapple, kiwi, mint, and more, Melissa wanted to offer something even healthier. 

Chocolate is their most popular flavor. My personal favorites are Vanilla Harmony, Ganesha's Sweet Greens, Strawberry Serenity, and Pistachio Passion. Mr. Froyo's favorites are Ganesha's Sweet Greens, True Tahini, Peanut Butter Prana, and Pistachio Passion.

In addition to froyo, Yoga-urt has organic smoothies, kombucha floats, organic drinks, froyo sandwiches, froyo popsicles, and froyo pies (by the slice or whole). Custom froyo pies are available. If you want to take some home, pre-pack pints are in the grab n’ go freezer. They started selling their almond milk and almond flour too.

Cups and spoons are compostable of course. Their products are good for you and they care about the Earth too. Ask for a stamp card.

Don’t live near Yoga-urt but want to try it? They ship their pints nationwide! Order from the website.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

No comments: