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.

Coconut Jelly King Introduces Purple Rice Coconut Jelly

 

Fro-yo girl here. With Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt closing in Temple City, San Gabriel, and Chino, the remaining locations in Southern California are in Irvine and Rowland Heights. The Arcadia location rebranded and is now called Der Tea. The Temple City location is now called Zhen Tea. Der Tea and Zhen Tea still offer purple rice yogurt drinks. So, purple rice yogurt drinks are still available but harder to find in purple rice yogurt shops in Southern California. Purple rice is appearing other places, in drinks and desserts.

I was a fan of purple rice yogurt drinks but the last few times I went to Yomie’s, the purple rice did not seem fresh. It was harder and clumped together.

I spotted purple rice coconut jelly at Coconut King Jelly in Arcadia, inside the H Mart food court. One jar was $8.99. I’m quite fond of coconut jelly because it’s organic, all natural, and less processed. It’s also filling and good for breakfast, a snack, or dessert.

This was my first time trying purple rice with coconut jelly. Purple rice is naturally sweet and nutty. While I liked the combination, the rice was mushy and not chewy like it is when it’s fresh in a purple rice yogurt shake. With coconut jelly, it’s more like overnight oats.

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.

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.

Quickly Adds Purple Rice Yogurt Shakes

Fro-yo girl here. The purple rice yogurt California invasion started at the beginning of 2021. Purple rice yogurt drinks/smoothies were first found in tea shops and then in standalone purple rice yogurt shops. Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt of Australia has the most locations in California. They make their own yogurt.

Anyway, I was amused to see that Quickly, which always tries to capitalize on anything Asian and trendy, now has yogurt shakes with purple rice – at least in San Francisco. I doubt they make their own yogurt. It reminded me of when they came out with the super cheap Quickly froyo. 

From what I can tell, purple rice yogurt drinks aren’t as popular as regular milk tea boba drinks. Sunright Tea Studio seems much busier than Yomie’s. Yomie’s is more expensive, the drinks take longer to make, and the variety of drinks is more limited. I heard Yomie’s quality has declined, so I’m afraid to go back but I did like their drinks. They taste like yogurt, they’re tangy and they’re supposedly better for you than boba 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.

Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt in Arcadia is Now Der-Tea

Fro-yo girl here. Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt, which started in Sydney, Australia, opened their first location in California at Westfield Santa Anita in Arcadia, California in May 2021. It lasted one year (not long). The sign has been changed to Der-Tea. They still make yogurt on the premises and offer purple rice yogurt, but they also added milk tea and fruit tea drinks.

I didn’t try it but reviewers say Der-Tea isn’t as good. Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt still has shops in Temple City, Rowland Heights, Chino, and San Gabriel. A Yomie's in San Francisco on Ocean Ave. recently converted into a milk tea shop called YM Tea. The purple rice yogurt trend might already be waning?

* DER-TEA: 400 S Baldwin Ave, Space 2203, Arcadia, CA 91007

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.

A Visit to Yomie Yogurt, First Purple Rice Yogurt Shop in Southern California

Fro-yo girl here. Will the real Yomie’s Purple Rice Yogurt please stand up? Yomie Yogurt opened in late April in Rowland Heights, CA. Looking at the name and the graphics, they’re clearly trying to associate themselves with the famous Yomie’s from Sydney, Australia. But it seems like they’re just a knock-off and not the real thing. The Yomie’s that opened in Arcadia’s Westfield Santa Anita is part of the real Yomie’s though their signs aren’t the same as the real Yomie’s. Confused?

Anyway, I tried to go to Yomie Yogurt about a month ago and they were closed due to machine maintenance. Argh. I finally made it back. The menu is very similar to Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt, with purple rice yogurt, oats yogurt, durian yogurt, etc. They don’t have the option of adjusting the sweetness level.

Purple rice yogurt ($6): A plain yogurt smoothie with cooked purple rice, it’s not too thick and the sweet, chewy purple rice is pleasant to chew on. Their version is tangier than Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt but the rice is clumpier and not cooked as well as Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt. It wasn’t too sweet or too heavy yet it was substantial. 

You can order online. I ordered inside the store. It wasn’t busy but the drink still took quite some time to make. They must not make their yogurt in the store because the sign says 100% fresh yogurt delivered daily.

It was hard to find any information on Yomie Yogurt but they did write the following, “We focus all our efforts on doing the best, on striving for perfection, and on restoring perfectionism. From "No" to "Yes" rice, yogurt is made from raw materials extracted from fresh milk fermented in California. It is the only yogurt brand designated by the dairy factory and 100% safe to drink. Fruit ingredients imported by air, only stored 2-3 days, truly "fresh, safe, to ensure the taste". We are like you who are successful, or you who are on the way to success. Our attitude, earnestness, delicacy and essence are all deeply rooted in our bones." It’s the only yogurt brand designated by the dairy factory – what does that mean?

I wonder how long it will take the real Yomie’s to sue the fake Yomie’s. Fake Yomie’s is cute inside thanks to the signs that make it look like the real Yomie’s. Also, there’s a cute mural on the exterior wall.

YOMIE YOGURT: 18716 Colima Rd, Rowland Heights, CA 91748

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.

Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt Finally Opens in Arcadia, San Gabriel Next

Fro-yo girl here. Yomie’s Yogurt opened in Rowland Heights in April 2021, becoming the first dedicated purple rice yogurt drink shop in the Los Angeles area. I drove over there a few weeks ago to try it and the shop was closed for maintenance that day. Very disappointing. According to the reviewers, it’s not an authentic Yomie location but a knockoff. The name is certainly very similar to the Australian chain that started the purple rice yogurt craze in Sydney’s Chinatown in late 2018: Yomie’s Yogurt vs. Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt.

The real Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt expanded into multiple countries and just opened branches in California this year. The first US location was in Bellevue, Washington. The California shops are in Arcadia, Millbrae, and San Leandro with locations opening soon in San Gabriel, Westfield Valley Fair (Santa Clara, CA), and Portland, Oregon

They say that they make the yogurt fresh in the store. I noticed there was a big refrigerator that seemed to be being used as a yogurt maker. The other places I had purple rice yogurt did not make their own yogurt.

Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt opened in Westfield Santa Anita on Friday, May 28. They took over the old Matcha Matcha space. Thought they just arrived in SoCal, they were already swamped with orders. They're known for the purple rice x yogurt drinks but also have fresh fruit tea and other yogurt drinks with durian, red bean, oats, jujube, salted egg, avocado, etc. The drinks come in one size and you can specify normal or less sugar.

Purple rice x yogurt ($6.15, less sweet): The sweet purple rice is nice and chewy and the yogurt lightly tangy. I like how the rice wasn't in tiny bits or clumped together. There was also a lot of rice, so every sip had yogurt and rice. The yogurt was a bit mild for me though (like mine tangier). It wasn't an icy slushy, so I liked that too. While I liked the drink, I wouldn't wait an hour for one and it feels a little overpriced. I'd rather have a froyo. But I'll be back to try a few more drinks.

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

* YOMIE’S RICE X YOGURT: 400 S Baldwin Ave, Space 2203, Arcadia, CA 91007

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.