San Bernardino, California Froyo Guide

Tiki Hut, Source: Yelp

Fro-yo girl here. I recently read that San Bernardino no longer has a froyo shop and was inspired by the sad news to look into the history of froyo in San Bernardino. San Bernardino is a city of over 216,000 residents in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, about an hour east of Los Angeles. It’s a good size city in a hot area, so it’s shocking to hear that there is no froyo shop.

It looks like there were four froyo shops in San Bernardino. Tiki Hut and Go Bananz were the oldest ones. Yogurtland was the last one to close.

Froyo shops of San Bernardino:

• Go Bananaz, 1078 E Hospitality Ln, was a self-serve froyo shop that may have been open from 2009-2010. 
• Prinkipia Frozen Yogurt, 500 Inland Center Dr., is still listed as a tenant at the Inland Center. The self-serve kiosk seems to have opened in 2016. You would think that the shopping center would keep its website up-to-date. I can’t find much information about the location though. One Google reviewer says the location has closed. If it closed, it may have closed this year. I called the mall and they confirmed that Prinkipia is no longer in business.
• Tiki Hut Frozen Yogurt, 4414 University Pkwy, was a self-serve froyo shop that opened in 2009 and closed in 2014. They had 12 flavors a day.
• Yogurtland, 4235 N, University Pkwy #103, opened in 2012 near Cal State San Bernardino. The shop closed in August 2021.

I guess I won’t be stopping in San Bernardino. When a city has no froyo, you know it’s not a place worth visiting.

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.

Tutti Frutti Montebello Has Closed

 

Fro-yo girl here. It’s been almost two years since my last visit to The Shops at Montebello (I haven’t been since the pandemic) in Montebello, California. It’s not a great mall but it did have two froyo shops: Tutti Frutti and Yogurtland. The Tutti Frutti, which was upstairs, has closed for good.

The equipment and signs are still there. The cup for pens is still by the register. The pens are still in the cup. The froyo machines are still there too. But they’ve been closed for months, according to guest services. I was surprised there wasn’t a gate or something to block off access to the interior of the shop.

Tutti Frutti is still listed on the mall online directory and the directory on site as well.

Guest services told me that Ice Cool in the food court has froyo. I checked and it does – but it’s Dreyer’s. They only have one froyo machine. I really don’t like Dreyer’s froyo, so I couldn’t make myself order any.

I could not find any closing announcement…RIP, Tutti Frutti Montebello.

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.

Time Is Running Out to Take the National Frozen Yogurt Consumer Survey, Five Respondents Will Win Froyo Gift Cards

Fro-yo girl here. If you visit froyo shops and you’re over 13 in the US, you're eligible to take the National Frozen Yogurt Consumer Survey. The short survey, sponsored by the International Frozen Yogurt Association, asks about your current froyo consumption and preferences.

Take the Online Froyo Survey and Be Entered to Win a $25 Froyo Gift Card

All eligible survey participants will be entered into a random drawing to win one of five $25 froyo shop gift cards to any US shop that offers online gift cards. Winners will be selected in a random drawing. One entry per person.

Take the 6 minute survey at tinyurl.com/2021froyosurvey

The survey closes at midnight PST on Wednesday, September 29, 2021.

Purpose of the National Frozen Yogurt Survey

The annual National Frozen Yogurt Survey, sponsored by the International Frozen Yogurt Association, captures trends in the frozen yogurt market from the perspective of the consumer and the shop owner. The results will be shared with frozen yogurt shops and others in the frozen yogurt industry.

The National Frozen Yogurt Shop Owner Survey launches in October. You'll be hearing more about the shop owner survey soon.

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.

Yogurtland Introduces New Orange Froyo Spoon

Fro-yo girl here. I spotted some new orange Yogurtland logo spoons on my Instagram feed recently and headed over the Yogurtland. The new orange spoons feature the Yogurtland logo at the top of the spoon. They look like the regular pink and green logo spoons, only different in color. I think there are five colors of this spoon design now: pink, green, raspberry, teal, and orange. The back says Yogurtland Franchising 2017. I found mine at the Yogurtland in Yorba Linda, CA.

This is the third new spoon of the year from Yogurtland.

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.

NEW Kee Wah Fruit Yogurt Custard Mooncakes Reviewed

Fro-yo girl here. Every year I struggle to find decent tasting mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival. I was excited to find new fruit yogurt custard mooncakes at Kee Wah Bakery in Arcadia, CA. The new mooncakes were made in Hong Kong. They come in two flavors: Strawberry and Orange. The mooncakes were available in a box of four for $21.80 and individually in cute penguin metal tins for $5.80 each. Each mooncake is 1.3 oz

Fruit Yogurt Custard Mooncakes are a lighter alternative to traditional mooncakes. Kee Wah says, “This set of Fruit Yogurt Custard Mooncakes has a complex texture and taste that dances between the yogurt and uniquely subtle taste of Strawberry or Orange.” They’re made with yogurt powder.

Yogurt custard mooncake with strawberry: The golden round mooncake is imprinted with a penguin stam and has a baked exterior shell. The thin shell is like a soft sweet cookie. The texture was a little grainy. The strawberry yogurt custard filling was better than I expected. It’s made with dried strawberries and condensed milk. The custard was pretty tangy and tasted like berries. The filling texture was soft and similar to the shell. One strawberry yogurt mooncake is 150 calories.

Chocolate flavored yogurt custard mooncake with orange peel: I’ve never had a mooncake shell that’s chocolate flavored before. The shell tasted like a soft, grainy chocolate cookie. The exterior had flavorful bits of orange peel. The chocolate and orange paired well together. One chocolate orange yogurt mooncake is 140 calories.

I like that the mooncakes are tiny and also cute. They’re perfect for kids.

Enjoy your mooncakes during Mid-Autumn Festival which begins on September 21, 2021.

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.

Momchilovtsi Yogurt Ice Cream Bars Review

Fro-yo girl here. I found new Momchilovtsi yogurt ice cream bars while shopping at 99 Ranch Market in Alhambra, CA. One box was $10.99 (regular price) and contains 4 popsicles. They’re the most expensive popsicles that 99 Ranch Market carries.

The bars come in two flavors, Original and Rose. I spotted the Original flavor at 99 Ranch Market in San Gabriel but when I went back the next Ttime, they didn’t have any.

Momchilovtsi is a Chinese brand and the yogurt bars are made in Shanghai by Bright Dairy’s subsidiary, Shanghai Yimin No 1 Food Co. The brand is named after a tiny Bulgarian village. drinks The Momchilovtsi yogurt brand was launched in 2009. In April 2019, Bright Dairy acquired Shanghai Yimin No 1 Food Factory; Yimin specializes in ice cream, confectionery products, and cold drinks. This led to the launch of Momchilovtsi yogurt ice cream bars.

Rose yogurt ice cream bar: Not only is each bar individually wrapped in plastic, but each bar comes in a separate box. The wooden popsicle stick is stamped with the Momchilovtsi name. The text on the box is in Chinese only. The bar was a pretty pale pink. The texture was very creamy and soft. I could taste the roses and cream much more than any yogurt flavors. It was sweet but not super sweet. There was a hint of yogurt flavor but no tang. It’s richer than Yasso. One bar is 120 calories, 4.5g total fat, 14g total carbs, 11g total sugars and 2g proteins.

As a yogurt lover, I prefer more tang and yogurt flavor but if you’re looking for a rich, creamy, mild yogurt ice cream bar, try Momchilovtsi.

4 out of 5 stars.

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.

Take the National Frozen Yogurt Consumer Survey for a Chance to Win Free Froyo

Fro-yo girl here. The Fifth Annual National Frozen Yogurt Consumer Survey, sponsored by the International Frozen Yogurt Association, is now open. They're looking to hear from anyone over 13 who visits frozen yogurt shops in the US. The survey is about froyo preferences.

Complete the froyo survey by midnight Pacific Time on September 29, 2021 for a chance to win one of five $25 froyo shop gift cards. Winners can choose a gift card from any froyo shop that sells online gift cards.

Winners will be selected based on a random drawing. One entry per person please.

Take the 6 minute survey at tinyurl.com/2021froyosurvey

IFYA National Frozen Yogurt Survey's captures trends in the frozen yogurt market. The results will be shared with frozen yogurt shops and others in the frozen yogurt industry to help shape the future of the industry.

Tell others to take the survey too!

Anyone who is interested in the survey results simply needs to share the survey invitation using a public profile. There are several ways to share the survey invitation, including sharing IFYA’s pinned Facebook post about the survey (https://www.facebook.com/froyoassociation/), pinned tweet (@froyogirl) or Instagram survey post (@froyoassociation) before September 27, 2021. Then, after sharing, send the IFYA a direct message with your email address.

For the complete contest rules, visit https://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/official-rules-for-the-2021-national-frozen-yogurt-consumer-survey-sweepstakes/

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

The Good Plow Opens in Carpinteria and Yes, They Serve Froyo

 

Fro-yo girl here. The Good Plow is a new farm-to-table restaurant that opened in Carpinteria, CA last month at the old Fosters Freeze site. The owners are a local family who also own the Farm Cart, which delivers fresh produce from local organic farms to Carpinteria homes.

The Good Plow is an organic, mostly plant-based café and retail store, with an ice cream window. And yes, you can get organic soft-serve froyo from the ice cream window. They have one Taylor machine and two flavors a day. During my visit, the flavors were organic tart yogurt (from Cloud Top) and organic chocolate. A small cup is $3 and a large, $4. Toppings included fruits, almonds, coconut, chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles, cookie crumble or magic cone dip. The ice cream window is adorable – reminds me of something you’d see in the Midwest.

Tart yogurt with cookie crumble ($3.50): The yogurt was thick and smooth with a mild tanginess. It had a pleasant clean taste but isn’t as flavorful as Pinkberry’s original tart or Yogurtland’s plain tart. It seemed less sweet and I know it’s all-natural, kosher, hormone-free, non-GMO, and probiotic. The cookie crumble features house-baked chocolate chip cookies. I didn’t get a lot of chocolate chips but I appreciated the housemade touch. Good stuff.

The ice cream window seemed like a hit. Let’s hope it stays that way.

I haven’t had froyo in Carpinteria since Yo Yum Yum many years ago. Yo Yum Yum opened in 2008 and changed ownership in 2014.

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

THE GOOD PLOW: 5205 Carpinteria Ave, Carpinteria, CA 93013

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.

New Yogurtland Flavor: Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Light Ice Cream, Labor Day Weekend Special

Fro-yo girl here. Pumpkin season is here and appropriately, Yogurtland’s newest flavor is Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew light ice cream. Yogurtland describes the flavor as, “Bold cold brew coffee flavor balanced with pumpkin spice.” It’s gluten-free and made with real California milk.

Last fall, Yogurtland introduced Cold Brew Coffee light ice cream. Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew light ice cream is similar – the cold brew coffee is strong, stronger than Yogurtland’s Sumatra Coffee flavor. The spices are subtle. I was struck by the strong coffee flavor first, with the pumpkin spice flavor (cinnamon and nutmeg?) hitting afterwards. The flavor was a little bitter and not as sweet or spicy as I expected. It was also a little icier than I expected. Recommended toppings: whipped cream, chocolate chips, and almonds.

FYI, National Coffee Day is September 29 and National Coffee Ice Cream Day was September 6.

Also, during Labor Day Weekend, Yogurtland is offering $3 off online orders of $15 or more. Use code LABORDAY at checkout.

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.

New Menchie’s Flavors: Peanut Butter Cracker froyo made with Ritz, Vegan Blue Raspberry Ice Pop Sorbet & A New Boss Baby Cup Design

 

Fro-yo girl here. Lots of new things going on at Menchie’s this month. First, they have a new limited edition cup design for the 2021 DreamWorks animated movie, The Boss Baby: Family Business. It’s being released on DVD and Blu-Ray on September 17. The cup is black and has an image of the Boss Baby.

There are two new flavors as well: Peanut Butter Cracker made with Ritz and Vegan Blue Raspberry Ice Pop Sorbet.

Peanut Butter Cracker froyo made with Ritz: This is a nonfat flavor that’s made with no artificial colors or artificial flavors. It contains real peanut butter and real Ritz crackers. I couldn’t really taste the Ritz crackers. Peanut Butter Cracker tasted like their other PB flavor, Creamy Peanut Butter but maybe slightly less peanutty? Hard to say. Menchie’s describes Peanut Butter Cracker froyo as, “We love our after-school snacks and our newest flavor has the perfect twist! We’ve taken rich peanut butter froyo and mixed it with buttery Ritz Crackers for a tasty mix of both sweet and salty!” Recommended toppings: Nilla Wafers, Nutter Butters, Reese’s peanut butter sauce, peanuts

Vegan Blue Raspberry Ice Pop Sorbet: I’m still not into the sorbets. Blue Raspberry Ice Pop reminds me of a Blue Raspberry Icee/Slurpee but less flavorful. It tastes like candy to me. The color is very blue. It’s nonfat, gluten free and made with no high fructose corn syrup. Menchie’s describes Vegan Blue Raspberry Ice Pop Sorbet as a “nonfat, sweet, tangy, and a delicious way to beat the heat.” Recommended toppings: Skittles, Sour Patch Kids

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.

Yoga-urt is Opening on the Westside in Santa Monica

Fro-yo girl here. It's official, the Westside is getting its first Yoga-urt location! Yoga-urt will be opening their third location in the Ocean Park neighborhood of Santa Monica, CA. The new location will serve eight to ten rotating housemade flavors a day and is expected to open at the end of September.

Yoga-urt Santa Monica will take over the Treats Frozen Yogurt space at 1700 Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405. Treats closed after 10 years of business.

Yoga-urt is LA's first and only all organic, plant-based, allergy-friendly soft serve concept. The first location opened in Glendale's Kenneth Village in 2015 and the Echo Park shop opened in 2019. Founded and led by amazing female entrepreneur, Melissa Schulman, Yoga-urt takes pride in creating hand-crafted, premium soft serve in small batches. It starts with a base of hand-squeezed almond and cashew milk, enriched with four probiotic strains. The soft serve is dairy-free, gluten-free, kosher, soy-free and all-natural. I feel like I can taste the love that went into making the soft serve. 

Yoga-urt offers soft serve, smoothies, froyo cookie sandwiches, froyo pies, coffee, and tea. They make their own gluten-free cones (super crispy, super delicious), sauces (the chocolate shell is to die for), cookies, pie-crust, and more. The cookies and pie-crust are made with the almond pulp, the byproduct of their housemade almond milk. 

Mr. Froyo and I have been regulars since day 1. His favorite flavors are True Tahini and Ganesha's Sweet Greens. My favorite flavors are Pistachio Passion and Vanilla Harmony. 

Stay tuned for grand opening news and follow Yoga-urt on Instagram, @yoga_urt

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.