Froyo Scene in Portland, Oregon

Fro-yo girl here. I recently went to Portland, Oregon, which of course means that I had froyo on my mind. 

Years ago I had froyo at Skinnidip in downtown Portland and at the YoCream Company Store. Skinnidip had four flavors and were counter serve, very much inspired by the Pinkberry model. This was before the influx of self-serve froyo shops. With Dannon YoCream’s froyo plant in Portland, YoCream supplied many of Portland’s froyo shops. Portland is also the home to the YoCream Frozen Yogurt Company Store and Showroom (10209 NE Cascades Pkwy), located close to YoCream factory in Northeast Portland.

The YoCream Frozen Yogurt Company Store at Cascade Station serves YoCream froyo and it’s a clean, bright shop that also sells YoCream merchandise and carries Joe Froyo, a blended iced coffee beverage made with Dannon YoCream frozen yogurt. This is the only YoCream company store and it opened in 2009.

The one-stop shopping retailer Fred Meyer, which started in Portland, recently added a self-serve froyo section to their Hawthorne location. They serve Dannon YoCream froyo. (see previous post).

About a year ago, Eb & Bean (1425 NE Broadway, @ebandbean) opened in Irvington/Lloyd District. Flavors, many of them creative and seasonal, are handmade with local organic milk, handmade flavors and artisanal toppings. In their first year they created 72 new seasonal flavors. 

More organic froyo is coming. The Maple Parlor (3538 SE Hawthorne Blvd., @themapleparlor) is replacing Swirl Frozen Yogurt. It will offer organic all natural soft serve, including tart froyo, made with locally sourced ingredients. While they were hoping to open on July 1st, they haven’t opened yet. The Swirl sign was still up.

Eb & Bean is not the first organic, handmade froyo shop in town. Bleuet (2007-2010) opened its doors in the Alphabet District in 2007, offering European style organic tart frozen yogurt in a boutique setting. Cool Harry's Yogurt (2010-2013) was the first froyo cart in town; they served organic, local froyo and toppings in downtown Portland. I visited Portland a few times while Cool Harry's was still in business but it wasn't open year-round so I never had a chance to try it.

Although Portland has its share of froyo spots (I counted 18 of them – and no national chains), we didn’t see many in the neighborhoods we visited. I also didn’t see any at Portland International Airport. 

Save on froyo at Skinnidip with Groupon.

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.

Frozen Yogurt at Fred Meyer

Fro-yo girl here. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you’re likely familiar with Fred Meyer – the retailer that started in Portland, Oregon and pioneered the idea of one stop shopping. Fred Meyer stores are huge and they strive to save customers time and money with service, selection, quality and prices. A typical Fred Meyer store has groceries, clothes, home products, electronics, health and beauty care and more under one roof.

Last month the Fred Meyer in the Hawthorne neighborhood of Portland, OR unveiled its self-serve frozen yogurt station. The station is called Fred’s Frost-O-Matic and it features three Electro Freeze machines that offer six flavors at a time, plus a toppings bar. The froyo and toppings are sold by weight at the price of 43 cents per ounce.

The frozen yogurt is from Dannon YoCream. Toppings include candy, cookies, fresh fruit, chocolate chips, granola and sprinkles (fewer toppings than your typical self-serve froyo shop).

Fred Meyer and Ralph’s have the same parent company, Kroger. The Fred Meyer and Ralph’s with self-serve frozen yogurt have a similar look – with sushi bars and a Murray’s Cheese area – but the Ralph’s is nicer. Both use the same froyo machines and use the same frozen yogurt mix. Ralph’s dessert bar had more toppings and was clearly staffed. The Fred Meyer froyo station didn’t appear to be staffed and no one offered sample cups.

During my visit the flavors were Original Tart, Salted Caramel Corn, White Vanilla, Dutch Chocolate, Very Strawberry and Mango Tango sorbet.

The original tart was a bit soft but had a pleasant flavor and refreshing finish. I would have tried more flavors if I’d been offered or spotted sample cups.

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

* FRED MEYER: 3805 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland, OR 97214

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.