Frogurt by Wards Ice Cream

Fro-yo girl here. I recently met with the Bay Area distributor of Frogurt (she owns Yogizmo) to learn more about the brand. Frogurt, a Wards Ice Cream product, has been available since 1968. Wards is a privately held company located in NJ and is best known as the supplier of Bloomingdale's fro-yo (40 Carrots). They don't have a website(!).

Frogurt currently has one tart flavor (plain tart) and classic flavors like peanut butter, coffee, pistachio, vanilla, banana and chocolate. They claim that their fro-yo doesn't contain artificial ingredients. Their fro-yo is very creamy and rich (though most flavors are non-fat). New flavors are on the way, including the second tart flavor, pomegranate.

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

* http://www.yogizmo.com/

Fro-yo Shop Innovators

Fro-yo girl here. My last post about the new fro-yo hot spots (cities) in 2009 made me want to recognize a few special fro-yo shops that have been innovators in the field of tart fro-yo. These innovators offered something unique long before others in the area caught on. While they didn't invent fro-yo, they created something memorable and special in the field of fro-yo. In no particular order, the shops are:

* BERRYLINE (BOSTON, MA): Now with three locations in the Boston area, BerryLine creates unique flavors like Nutella, Banana, Oreo and Apple Cinnamon. They originally opened in September 2007 and brought tart fro-yo to Boston. You can even send your friend a cup of BerryLine via your cell phone at http://www.kangogift.com/SendGift.aspx?id=133
* STARFRUIT (CHICAGO, IL): They introduced frozen kefir to the US market. Currently Starfruit has three locations in the Chicago area. Frozen kefir looks just like soft serve fro-yo and Starfruit offers similar toppings. The concept was created by Lifeway, the country's leading manufacturer of kefir.
* SNO:LA (BEVERLY HILLS, CA): Sno:la's fro-yo tastes like no one else's - it's intense, sour and barely sweetened. It's made without any refined sugars, with organic dairy and seasonal fruits. The mochi can't be missed. Sno:la is eco-friendly and 1% of their gross proceeds go to the Slow Food movement.
* CULTURE ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT (PALO ALTO, CA): Culture stays busy inventing new fro-yo flavors, fro-yo creations (Yo'wiches) and fro-yo toppings. They even had frozen kefir for awhile. Mary, the brilliant toppings-in-chief bakes up a storm including crumbles, mini meringue cookies, brownies, etc. She made marshmallow creme and flaxseed cones. Everything is organic and eco-friendly. No one else offers all organic toppings.
* FRAICHE FROZEN YOGURT (PALO ALTO, CA): They make their own yogurt with organic milk. And they make their own fro-yo. Though it took them awhile to offer mochi, their mochi was worth the wait. The new SF location is gorgeous and both locations also offer delicious baked goods. They're also famous for offering fresh chocolate shavings (shaved to order).
* MOCHII YOGURT (SACRAMENTO, CA): Mochii Yogurt brought delicious, handcrafted mochi and tart fro-yo to Sacramento back in 2007. The array of mochi flavors is awe-inspiring. Past mochi flavors included blackberry, mandarin orange, cherry, kiwi, peach, ume, and the list goes on.
* YOGIZMO (SANTA CRUZ, CA): YoGizmo brought mix-in style fro-yo and tart soft-serve fro-yo to Scotts Valley in 2007 and added a Santa Cruz location in 2009. The owner was inspired by the tart mix-in fro-yo she enjoyed in Canada. You can get also get soy ice cream, ice cream, and acai sorbet as the base for the mix-in. Choose up to three fruits and enjoy a custom blended creation.

Thank you, fro-yo shop innovators. You have my love and deep appreciation.

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

Fro-yo Road Trip: Santa Cruz

Fro-yo girl here. My friend wanted to go to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk to ride the Giant Dipper. Of course I had to check out every fro-yo shop in the area. I didn’t try all of them but some of them have other locations that I’ve been to, so I think I have a good feel for the Santa Cruz fro-yo scene. And my favorite is…Yogizmo.

* Yogizmo, 1717 Mission St, Santa Cruz, CA: They have sweet and tart fro-yo as well as mix-in style fro-yo (called Infuzions). I liked how they had some organic toppings and free honey. The plain tart was tangy, milky, smooth, firm, creamy, and dense texture. They claim that their fro-yo is all natural and that it’s the only fully cultured fro-yo in the area. They might not have mochi (their Scotts Valley location didn’t have any).

* Froyo?, 1010 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA: I’ve been to their Cupertino location and think it’s okay. The concept is strange because it’s only partially self-serve. You tell them the fro-yo flavor and size that you want, they put it in a cup and then you add your own toppings (39 cents an ounce).

* Yogurt Delite, 1306 Mission St, Santa Cruz, CA: It looks like an old school, sweet fro-yo place. It’s cash only, like most old school fro-yo shops. I think it’s part of a chain since I’ve seen other locations with the same logo in Oakland and San Jose.


* Swirl, 1315 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA: Definitely the cutest fro-yo shop in town with 6 self-serve flavors a day (39 cents an ounce). The machines let you swirl two flavors together. However, the fro-yo texture is too fluffy and airy.

* Marini’s Downtown, 1308 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA: It looks like a candy store first, then an ice cream shop, but now they also have tart fro-yo. The pictures of the fro-yo didn’t look appealing.


* Marini’s Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: You can find soft serve ice cream all over the Boardwalk but I only spotted one place that has fro-yo, the Marini’s near the arcade. They still make candy there, including the classic boardwalk candy, salt water taffy. To find the fro-yo, go inside the arcade passed the Marini’s express window (towards the old time photographs area). It’s next to a shooting gallery.

* Top A Lot, 738 Water St, Santa Cruz, CA: Another self-serve fro-yo shop, also 39 cents an ounce. I didn’t check it out.

* The Sweet Spot, 827 Water St, Santa Cruz, CA: I didn’t see this place but it sounds like an ice cream shop that also sells fro-yo.

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