Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt Returns to Arcadia, What Happened to Purple Rice Yogurt

 

Fro-yo girl here. Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt has reopened in Arcadia, inside Duke Bakery. The menu is pretty much the same as it used to be, only with items crossed out.

I’ve watched most purple rice yogurt shops in the area open in 2021 and close or change names by 2022. Here’s a rundown of the ones that have opened in the San Gabriel Valley and where they are today:

• From Yogurt, 29 Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA, opened July 2021 and closed in August 2022
• Yomie Yogurt, 18716 Colima Rd Rowland Heights, CA, is a blatant knockoff of the real Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt but it did open first, in April 2021. The menu is very similar to Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt, which hails from Sydney, Australia.
• Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt, 18178 Colima Rd Rowland Heights, CA, opened in late 2021 and is still open.
• Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt, 400 S Baldwin Ave, Space 2203, Arcadia, CA, opened in May 2021 and became Der-Tea in May 2022. Der-Tea had a similar menu and continued to offer purple rice yogurt drinks. It is now called One Cup, as of 2023, and it still offers purple rice yogurt.
• Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt, 5805 Rosemead Blvd, Temple City, CA, opened in November 2021 in the same shopping center as Daiso and TJ Maxx. It changed names in July 2022 but became another boba shop called Zhen Tea. Zhen Tea offered purple rice yogurt drinks. Zhen Tea seems to have closed in May 2023. It is now another boba shop called Bearology. Purple rice yogurt drinks are no longer available.
• Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt, 227 W Valley Blvd #168A, San Gabriel, CA, opened in July 2021 and closed in December 2022. The space is now occupied by Chickii Fried Chicken.

I did notice that the purple rice wasn’t being cooked as well (or wasn’t fresh) at multiple Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt locations. Purple rice became available as a add-in at other boba shops, though very few offered purple rice yogurt. It's often not fresh or cooked well, so I've become reluctant to order it.

I looked at Google Trends and the popularity of the search term “purple rice yogurt” over the past five years. Purple rice yogurt searches were the most popular by far in Singapore, followed by Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, and Indonesia. It didn’t catch on in the US to the same extent (the US is #9 in terms of search queries for purple rice yogurt). Google adjusts for differences in the population size of countries by using the proportion of all search queries rather than looking at the absolute query count.

The first Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt to open in the US is still open in Bellevue, Washington, and they’ve opened in other states. I noticed most of the purple rice yogurt shops in Indonesia also have closed after a year or two. Yomie’s Australia hasn’t posted on IG since 2020, but still seems to be open. I guess that makes purple rice yogurt a passing fad.

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

* YOMIE’S RICE x YOGURT, 713 W Duarte Rd Ste E Arcadia, CA 97201

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.

From Yogurt Closes in Alhambra, CA, Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt Renamed Zhen Tea in Temple City

Fro-yo girl here. From Yogurt, the first purple rice yogurt shop in the San Gabriel Valley, has closed. It was open less than a year. The shop opened in July 2021, taking over the Mr. Matcha space at 29 Valley Blvd in Alhambra. Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt in Arcadia is now called Der Tea. While they still serve purple rice yogurt, they also added other tea drinks. And Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt in Temple City is now called Zhen Tea. They still carry Yomie’s yogurt drinks.

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.

San Gabriel Valley Gets Another Purple Rice Yogurt Shop

Fro-yo girl here. From Yogurt just opened in Alhambra and so did the 2nd Yomie's RicexYogurt (the one in San Gabriel). During the soft opening, they're offering a deal: Buy one, get one 50% off.

From Yogurt uses organic yogurt and fresh fruit in their made to order yogurt smoothies. Flavors include salted egg, jujube, avocado, strawberry, blueberry, peach, rose, pitaya, mango, etc. I figured purple rice yogurt was the signature drink, so I ordered one. I was told that they ran out of purple rice...but it was early and I was the only customer. I asked about the goat yogurt and they said they were out of it. They probably didn't make any goat yogurt or purple rice.

Decided to keep it simple so I went with the oats yogurt smoothie ($6.50): It's a plain yogurt smoothie with bits of cooked oats. Simple but cold and refreshing without being overloaded with ice. I found it a little sweet (hoped for more tang) and mildly tangy. They didn't add as much oats as Yomie's. Yomie's yogurt drinks are tangier.

Do they make their own yogurt? Can you adjust the sweetness? Not a lot of signage, so I'm not sure.

FROM YOGURT: 29 Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91801

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.

Finally, Dedicated Purple Rice Yogurt Shops Are Opening in the Los Angeles Area

Fro-yo girl here. Last year, I searched high and low for purple rice yogurt drinks in Los Angeles. I finally found some at The Alley and also Gotcha Tea House in Rosemead. A few places have purple rice milk tea drinks but not purple rice yogurt. I knew of a purple rice yogurt drink place that was supposed to open in Arcadia but then the pandemic struck. I don’t think the shop ever opened. But Yomie's (the Australian purple rice yogurt chain) is coming to Westfield Santa Anita in Arcadia and San Gabriel too. They've already opened in the Bay Area, in Millbrae and in SoCal (Rowland Heights). The Rowland Heights location opened this week!

On a recent froyo run, I noticed a sign for From Yogurt in the same strip mall as Yogurtland Alhambra. From Yogurt’s sign mentions fruit, yogurt, and purple rice. Of course, the first word I saw was yogurt and my first thought was frozen yogurt. They’re taking over the Mr. Matcha space. Since they mentioned WeChat, I assume it’s Chinese-owned.

I’ll report back once it opens. We're getting multiple purple rice yogurt shops!

For a history of purple rice yogurt drinks and health benefits, see IFYA’s post, Now Trending: Purple Rice Yogurt Drinks.

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

FROM YOGURT: 29 Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91801

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.