The IFYA Turns Five

The International Frozen Yogurt Association was launched on July 29, 2013. Today, it celebrates its fifth anniversary serving the frozen yogurt industry. I wanted to share the IFYA's anniversary message.

IFYA's 2018 Anniversary Message

Our Association Includes More Than 2,100 Members

Last July 2017, we had 1,800 members strong. This July, we have over 2,100 members in over 100 countries. While most of our members are in the US, we clearly have a strong international presence, even in small countries.

We’ve reached several big milestones in social media, including over 2,600 followers on Twitter, over 1,300 followers on Pinterest, nearly 2,200 followers on Instagram, and nearly 800 Facebook fans. Our community is growing everyday.

The State of Froyo Today

According to Technavio's most recent report published in 2017, the “frozen yogurt market in the US is expected to grow at a CAGR of almost 11% from 2017-2021.”

We continue to observe consolidation in the frozen yogurt industry. For example, sweetFrog has acquired several shops that were formerly part of franchises like Hoopla and U-Swirl. We recently saw a significant upsurge in frozen yogurt shop promotions for National Ice Cream Day, July 15. Many frozen yogurt shops have expanded their offerings to include soft serve ice cream. The other big story is robots in foodservice. Reis & Irvy's has signed many franchise agreements for their frozen yogurt robots and installed their robots in several states, with many more installations to come.

The National Frozen Yogurt Survey Returns

One of the ways the IFYA provides values is by tracking the state of the frozen yogurt industry. Last year, we launched the first National Frozen Yogurt Survey for consumers and for frozen yogurt shops. We are excited to conduct the survey again this fall. Here's a recap of what we found last year.

Shop Owner Survey Findings

Our overall impression was that our respondents were optimistic about the future of their business, though they were concerned about rising costs, finding and keeping good employees, and the seasonality of frozen yogurt demand.
The survey included questions such as how many hours a week do you spend managing the shop, what items does your shop sell (besides frozen yogurt), how well is your shop doing in terms of sales compared to this time last year, how satisfied are you with your decision to open your business, etc.

Consumer Survey Findings

Our survey included questions about loyalty, current consumption, future consumption, frozen yogurt attitudes and preferences and demographics. We found that 67% of respondents strongly agreed with the statement, I enjoy eating frozen yogurt. Furthermore, 28% somewhat agreed with the same statement, so only 5% did not agree. In other words, frozen yogurt is popular and well-liked.

We also included questions about how much they liked the major frozen yogurt chains, what shop attributes were important, what might increase their frozen yogurt shop visits, how often they consume frozen yogurt, taste preferences, etc. And, we looked at differences based on gender, age, region (geographic location) and frequency of froyo shop visits.

Please look for the new survey this fall and participate. The more responses we receive, the more useful the results will be for everyone. The results will help shop owners learn how they compared to other frozen yogurt shops, which suppliers are highly rated, and what consumers are looking for from froyo shops.

Offering Greater Membership Value

Our members can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars on essentials for their frozen yogurt shops. IFYA members continued to enjoy exclusive member discounts on frozen yogurt mix, frozen yogurt machines, toppings dispensers, cup dividers, payment processing, insurance and HR/payroll services.

We partnered with ADP to offer a valuable new membership benefit that includes 25% discount on payroll processing, waived implementation fees, and other special offers.

Corporate Sponsors

In addition to our advisory board and frozen yogurt industry experts, we’re thrilled to enjoy the support of our corporate sponsors. A huge thank you to our sponsors for helping us as we strive to promote the quality and success of the frozen yogurt industry:

• FrozenDessertSupplies.com
• Frozen Solutions
• Dannon YoCream

Please support our corporate sponsors and our advertisers when you’re looking for frozen yogurt supplies.

Anniversary Contest

We continued our tradition of having an anniversary contest with our first Froyo Stories contest. We invited frozen yogurt fans to share stories of their love of frozen yogurt.
Each entry was judged for creativity and evidence of frozen yogurt passion. The winner, @db.pottery, maintained a daily froyo blog called Zelda’s Froyo Adventures: https://zeldasfroyoadventures.wordpress.com/

“We are so thrilled to find someone with true froyo passion,” said Susan Linton, President of the International Frozen Yogurt Association. “Promoting the passion of froyo fans is an important part of our association’s mission.”


Warmest Regards,


Susan Linton
President, International Frozen Yogurt Association

The IFYA Turns Four

The International Frozen Yogurt Association was launched on July 29, 2013. Today, it celebrates its fourth anniversary. I wanted to share the IFYA's anniversary message. It's an important one for froyo fans and those in the frozen yogurt industry.

The IFYA Anniversary Message

State of Froyo Today

According to a recent report by Technavio, the frozen yogurt industry had a value of $2.39 billion in 2016, with a projected value in 2021 of $3.96 billion. IBIS World estimates that the growth rate of the frozen yogurt industry from 2011-2016 was 11.6%. According to Technavio, the “frozen yogurt market in the US is expected to grow at a CAGR of almost 11% from 2017-2021.”

The US market for frozen yogurt has slowed and many shops have closed or been acquired. During the consolidation period, surviving frozen yogurt businesses need to build their brands, offer something different and stay open to innovation. The IFYA helps frozen yogurt store owners keep track of trends and best practices, as well as offer discounts for a wide range of goods and services, and access to industry experts.

New Project, The National Frozen Yogurt Survey

The IFYA is currently working on an ambitious new project, to better understand the state of frozen yogurt in the US today. To do this, we’ll need to hear from both frozen yogurt consumers and frozen yogurt shop operators.

For shops, we’d like to learn what their main concerns are, their costs, key operational practices, satisfaction with suppliers, etc. For consumers, we’d like to learn how brand loyal they are, how they would rate the largest froyo chains, what drives them to go to a froyo shop, what might increase their visit frequency, etc.

We’re looking for project partners. Partners could provide the prizes for frozen yogurt consumers or shop operators and/or help distribute the survey, in exchange for more of the survey results data and analysis. If you think you might be interested, please contact us at info@internationalfrozenyogurt.com

If all goes well, this could be an annual survey. The results will be useful for froyo shops and suppliers. The more responses we get, the better and more reliable our results will be.

Our Association is 1,800 Members Strong

Last July we had 1,400 members in 104 countries. Since then, we've grown to 1,800 members strong. This July, we have over 1,800 members in 108 countries. While most of our members are in the US, we clearly have an international presence. There are IFYA members in Albania, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Myanmar, and of course many other countries.

IFYA members include frozen yogurt store operators and employees (42%), prospective frozen yogurt store operators (23%), frozen yogurt fans (14%), frozen yogurt industry suppliers (9%), and other (12%).

We’ve reached several big milestones in social media, including over 2,500 followers on Twitter, over 1,100 followers on Pinterest, over 1,600 followers on Instagram (almost 1,000 new followers in the last year) and nearly 700 Facebo0k fans.

Offering Greater Membership Value

Our members can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars on essentials for their frozen yogurt shops. IFYA members continued to enjoy exclusive member discounts on frozen yogurt mix, frozen yogurt machines, toppings dispensers, cup dividers, payment processing, insurance and HR/payroll services.

FrozenSolutions.com and Aurel LLC offered limited time IFYA member discounts on cups, spoons and soft serve machines. Both Preferred Connect Insurance Center and FrozenDesssertSupplies.com increased the discount offered to our members.

New Website Features

We launched the new website design at the end of last year and reorganized the article library. These changes were undertaken to make it easier to find what you’re looking for on our website.

Corporate Sponsors

In addition to our advisory board and frozen yogurt industry experts, we're thrilled to enjoy the support of our corporate sponsors. A huge thank you to our sponsors for helping us as we strive to promote the quality and success of the frozen yogurt industry:

• FrozenDessertSupplies.com
• Dannon YoCream

Please support our corporate sponsors and our advertisers when you're looking for frozen yogurt supplies.

Contest

We continued our tradition of having an anniversary contest with the Far-Out Froyo Flavors contest. Frozen yogurt fans were invited to share their most creative, appealing froyo flavor ideas for a chance to win a sweet prize package.

The winning flavor, White Peach Oolong Tea froyo, was submitted by @xtracetracex on Instagram.


Warmest Regards,



Susan Linton

President, International Frozen Yogurt Association

The IFYA Turns 3, Froyo Poem Contest Winner Announced

Fro-yo girl here. The International Frozen Yogurt Association (IFYA) just turned three on July 29, 2013. Since its founding, the IFYA has:

• Grown its membership base to nearly 1,400 members in 104 countries. The majority of members are frozen yogurt shop operators.
• Built a social media presence that includes over 2,000 Twitter followers on Twitter, over 1,000 followers on Pinterest, nearly 700 followers on Instagram and over 500 Facebook fans.
• Secured a wide variety of member discounts, including discounts from new ones from FrozenSolutions.com, Café Pofferazzi, FrozenYogurtParts.com and Soft Serve Solutions 

The IFYA also sponsored a froyo poetry contest to commemorate its third anniversary. The winning poem was submitted by @db_pottery:

‘Twas the night before the new promo
and I could hardly wait

to rush out to Yogurtland
and anxiously find out my fate.

New flavors and special toppings
all waiting just for me;

which one would be my favorite?

The time was getting close to see.

My heart danced with glee
as I skipped into the store;
this is what I live for after all,
special promos...give me more!

With eyes wide and sample cup in hand
I certainly wasted no time;
after all there was something tasty
and it was soon to be mine.

Once the sampling was complete,
my mind was made up;
I knew exactly which temptations
I wanted to have in my cup.

Some cookie dough and Reese's
along with a few chocolate chips;
this was sure to be pleasant
once it finally hit my lips.

And of course one last thing

I couldn't leave out... lots of fluffy whipped cream;
it's something I never go without!

The final order of business
now that the creation was complete,
was to pull out my Real Rewards card
and happily pay for my treat.

The moment was finally here
with one more special surprise;
a new collectible spoon
presented to me before my very eyes!

Like a child at Christmas
this had been the best day;
me and my beloved fro-yo... Hooray! Hooray!

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.

IFYA Celebrates Turning 2 with a Greek Froyo Maker Giveaway

Fro-yo girl here. The International Frozen Yogurt Association (IFYA) just turned two. The association has nearly 1,000 members from 88 countries. During year two, the IFYA co-sponsored three contests and added even more member benefits, including free Dole Soft Serve starter kits (approximate retail value, $50) from Kent Precision Foods Group.

To celebrate turning two, turning two, the IFYA has just announced its first Facebook caption contest. 

Prize: One winner will receive a home froyo making machine from Dash (retail value $39.99).

The mini Greek froyo maker from Dash features:

•           Makes frozen treats in just 30 minutes

•           BPA-free

•           8 liter capacity

•           Easy one switch operation

•           Add mix-ins and flavors while the unit is in operation

•           Splash guard detaches from motor for easy cleaning

•           Inner bowl fits in any freezer

•           7 watts

Who’s eligible? Any legal resident of the US, 18 years or older. No purchase is necessary. 

To enter, visit facebook.com/froyoassociation, like the Facebook contest post and post your caption by midnight PST on Thursday, August 6 for a chance to win.

Full contest rules, terms  and conditions: http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/froyo-caption-contest-official-rules-terms-and-conditions/

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.