Innovative Froyo Shop: Krave Kulture in North Vancouver

Fro-yo girl here. I don’t encounter too many innovative froyo shops, so it’s always a big thrill to find one. They’re worth seeking out and making a special effort to visit.

Krave Kulture in North Vancouver is Vancouver’s first craft yogurt shop. It’s owned by a local couple with Persian roots and a deep love of yogurt. When Krave Kulture first opened, they offered yogurt and kefir made in-house with live probiotic cultures and BC organic, non-GMO milk. The process takes 24 hours. People kept asking for froyo and thankfully, they added decided to add froyo.

The menu includes fresh yogurt bowls, bagels with housemade yogurt spread, milkshakes, affogato, froyo sundaes, and smoothies. There’s a lot of goodness to choose from, including healthy toppings.

Froyo flavors of the day:

• Chocolate
• Tart vanilla
• Raspberry
• Mango
• Passion fruit
• Strawberry
• Mint
• Pineapple

All the froyo is made with a tart base (yay!) and they offer samples. We loved everything that we sampled. The froyo was thick, smooth, and fresh/natural tasting. Both were tart and clean tasting but not super tart. Everything was very fresh. It’s very rare to find a froyo place that makes the yogurt from scratch.

Pick up prepacked froyo pints, fresh yogurt in glass jars, housemade salad dressing, kefir, housemade gluten-free no sugar added granola, housemade yogurt spread, and pickles.

They make their products with love. Go there if you love yogurt and froyo. Or find them at Stong’s Market in Vancouver. A second location will open soon in the Lonsdale Quay Market in North Vancouver.

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

* KRAVE KULTURE, 3151 Edgemont Blvd, North Vancouver, BC V7R 2N9, Canada

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.

Innovative Froyo Shop Spotlight: Top It Yogurt Shoppe in Snohomish, WA

Fro-yo girl here. Once in a blue moon, I’ll encounter a froyo shop with an owner who really cares about providing the best froyo and the best froyo shop experience. And I found that in the small town of Snohomish, about 60 miles north of Seattle.

Top It Yogurt Shoppe opened in 2013. The current owner, Ken, took over Top It about 1.5 years ago and transformed it into a shop that reflects his commitment to serving the best froyo and toppings in a unique, friendly environment.

The froyo is made with a liquid mix served from the best soft serve machines (Electro Freeze & Carpigiani). The texture is superior, so the froyo tastes better too. It’s self-serve with 12 flavors a day. Each flavor label lists whether the flavor is gluten-free, sugar-free, lowfat, contains nuts, contains egg, etc. And each label also had a Titanic fact.

He switched to flat rate pricing, because he knows what it’s like when you take your kids to a self-serve froyo shop and they load up their cups.

Prices: Small ($5)/ Medium ($7.50)/ Large ($9). It’s self-serve but flat rate. There’s a smaller cup available, if you ask for it.

He wanted to serve products that he felt good about and when he looked at the ingredients in some common froyo toppings, he decided to make his own toppings. Over half the toppings and sauces, including the sprinkles, cookies, crumble, cookie dough, cheesecake, brownies, brownie batter, mochi, granola, etc. are made in-house. Almost everything is vegan. The only dairy product used is milk. Other toppings include fresh fruit, nuts, candies, chocolate-covered nuts, chocolate chips, pb chips, cereal, honey, etc. I haven’t seen so many homemade toppings at a froyo shop in many years.

Ken cares about the environment, so the shop is carbon neutral, composting and recycling most of the waste, and offering reusable bowls and spoons. Organic ingredients are used when available.

And Ken wants to make the shop a true experience, so he’s decorated it with various themes. The current theme is Titanic and the shop is currently a mini-Titanic museum (you have to see it to appreciate it). There are replicas of the stained glass windows of the Titanic and the side of the Titanic, photos of the Titanic, artifacts from the Titanic, books on the Titanic, and more. He even posted elaborate daily summaries of the final voyage of the Titanic. And he made toppings inspired by what was served on the Titanic.

Ken greeted everyone who entered the shop, and he was the one who dispensed the samples.

The shop has the charm of an older building (it’s in Historic Downtown Snohomish) and is a few steps from the Snohomish River. If you provide your phone number, you’ll get 5% off on subsequent visits. It’s a true gem of a froyo shop that you should visit if you’re in the area. It has to be the best froyo shop in the Seattle area right now.

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

* TOP IT YOGURT SHOPPE, 801 1st St, Unit 203, Snohomish, WA 98290

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.

Innovative Froyo Shop Spotlight: Live Culture Café in Leucadia, CA

Fro-yo girl here. It’s been awhile since I’ve run into a new, innovative froyo shop to tell you about, so it’s with great pleasure that I share my experience at the new Live Culture Café in Leucadia, a beachside community within Encinitas, CA (greater San Diego). To understand the charm of Live Culture Café, it helps to describe the sleepy, beach town feel of downtown Leucadia. The vibe and the offerings of Live Culture Café fit the community.

Live Culture Café was opened in February 2019 by the people behind Bambucha Kombucha, chef crafted kombucha brewed with fresh, organic ingredients in San Diego. The café serves “delicious, probiotic rich, living foods,” including kombucha on tap, froyo, vegan soft serve, acai, toasted sourdough sandwiches, gluten free baked goods, energy bars, shakes, and locally roasted coffee.

For kombucha fans, they have kombucha tasting flights, lunch specials (sandwich plus kombucha), and kombucha happy hour from 4 PM -6 PM weekdays. I love the idea of a kombucha happy hour!!! Love froyo and kombucha? They have kombucha froyo floats with your choice of soft serve and choice of kombucha.

The froyo is not self-serve but they make whatever you order look nice. The toppings are healthier and include fresh fruit, sauces (peanut butter, chocolate, honey, agave), dates, crystallized ginger, flax, almonds, goji berries, sunflower seeds, coconut, chia seeds, hemp granola, etc.

Froyo/soft serve flavors:

• Vanilla froyo
• Chocolate froyo
• Culltured coconut (vegan
• Acai sorbet

* Vanilla froyo float with blueberry tart kombucha: My first kombucha float! The blueberry kombucha was light, fruity, and refreshing. The vanilla yogurt was thick and creamy without seeming too heavy or too sweet. The froyo and kombucha went well together. There were a few blueberries on top. There was much more froyo than kombucha.

* Thai ginger kombucha (ginger, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf): a light kombucha that’s slightly tangy, slightly sweet, and refreshing. As a comparison, GTS’s gingerade kombucha is darker, heavier, and tastes more like vinegar.

The shop is cute and small with plants out front, a palm tree, and an outdoor patio. There are a few window seats inside. It feels like the perfect spot to go after surfing on a hot day.

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

* LIVE CULTURE CAFÉ: 1076 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024

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.

Innovative Soft Serve Shop Spotlight: Zooies

Fro-yo girl here. I love finding innovative froyo shops. Zooies is definitely a hidden gem. It’s inside a gas station convenience store called We Got It! They opened a few years ago in San Diego as a cookie and ice cream shop inside the We Got It! United Oil convenience store. Now they’re in LA at the We Got It! The United Oil gas station looks new and the gas prices were the lowest in the area.

The convenience store looks new too. Zooies is to the right when you walk in. They had over 20 kinds of cookies and bars to choose from, including vegan, paleo, diabetic friendly, and gluten free options. The staples are there: chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, and some creative kinds like s’mores, baklava and morning glory.

The froyo is self-serve and they have four flavors. The froyo is average but what stands out is the toppings bar. The toppings are their chopped up cookies!!! The limited time special is a steal, $3.50 flat rate for a 16 oz cup. The only toppings they have are cookies and syrups but who cares. They have over a dozen types of chopped up cookies. The baklava cookies have a strong cardamom flavor. Love.

Froyo flavors of the day:

* Vanilla: creamy, like soft serve ice cream

* Chocolate

* Plain tart: didn’t have much tang and didn’t have a clean finish

* Passionfruit orange sorbet

They also have coffee cake and coffee drinks. There isn’t any place to sit. If I lived nearby, I’d fill cups with chopped cookies and froyo and freeze them for future consumption. Also note that they close earlier than the gas station.

Rating: 4/5

* ZOOIES: 9815 National Blvd., Los Angeles (Cheviot Hills), CA 90034

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.

Innovative Froyo Shop: ICE-YO in West Hollywood

Fro-yo girl here. Iceyo opened in West Hollywood at the end of last year. They call themselves a “fresh yogurt boutique.” I was intrigued by the menu and their claim that “after three years of trial and error, ICE-YO has developed a special yogurt smoothie base that is less tart and rich in flavor.”

ICE-YO is different from most froyo shops. It’s not self-serve but they take their time to make your froyo look nice. The froyo is organic, gluten free, kosher and has live and active cultures. They have four flavors a day ($4, extra cost per topping). They have some interesting toppings like cotton candy, caramel popcorn, macarons, and organic honey cubes. Other toppings include chocolate chips, sprinkles, brownies, syrups, mochi, fresh fruit, mango poppers, cheesecake, whipped cream, cereal, almonds, walnuts and Oreos.

The froyo appears in various drinkable forms: yogurt smoothies, yogurt floats, and yogurtade.

It’s a bit strange that they only offer one size of froyo and it’s huge. I recommend sharing it unless you’re really hungry.

I was impressed with the amount of froyo and raspberries that I received. They drizzled the top with “yogurt sauce,” which seemed to be a plain, refrigerated yogurt. It enhanced the taste of the frozen yogurt by bringing out the natural yogurt flavor. Their plain tart is refreshing and light with a sweet finish.

The décor is quite nice and they even have a lovely seating area, overlooking Sunset Blvd., outside. It’s in a strip mall so they actually have free parking! And there’s free wi-fi and a bathroom.

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

* ICE-YO: 8555 W Sunset Blvd., Ste E, West Hollywood, CA 90069, IG: iceyosunset

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.

Innovative Soft Serve Shop Spotlight: Frozen Fruit Co. in Santa Monica, CA

Fro-yo girl here. Los Angeles has more frozen yogurt shops than any other city; it is frozen yogurt central. When it comes to froyo/soft serve innovation, expect to find it on the Westside (West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills) where residents are particularly health conscious and affluent.

Enter Frozen Fruit Co., a soft serve fruit shop which opened its doors last month in Santa Monica. It’s not frozen yogurt. They make their soft serve with just fruit, so it’s all natural, vegan, paleo, dairy free, gluten free and refined sugar free. The founders, Michael and Victoria, came up with the recipes back in England. They’re both UK lawyers who wanted a frozen treat that was simple, healthy and tasty.

There are currently four flavors but they’re thinking of adding more:

• Coconut & cacao: very strong cacao flavor, for chocolate lovers
• Mango & strawberry: the strawberry makes it tarter and better, mango makes it taste indulgent
• Raspberry & orange: the orange is really strong and it’s quite tangy
• Pineapple & passionfruit: another tangy but more tropical flavor, a shop favorite

I thought that the soft serve fruit might be icy, gritty or bland – but it was none of those things. The difference is that Frozen Fruit Co. uses the whole fruit so there’s more texture, plus it’s made right there in the back of the shop so it’s much fresher than what you’ll find elsewhere. The texture was thick, smooth and not at all icy. The flavors really popped.

They have healthy toppings like granola, banana chips, coconut, carob chips, fresh fruit, nuts and pretzels. Edible flowers are complimentary. Instagram and tag Frozen Fruit Co. to get a free topping.

Prices: Cone $3.95, Small $4.95, Medium $6.50, Large $7.50, toppings 50 cents each.

The shop is small but adorable with a colorful paisley theme. Earn rewards with Fivestars. Open daily from noon to 10 PM.

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

Rating: 5/5

* FROZEN FRUIT CO.: 729 Montana Ave., Suite 2, Santa Monica, CA 90403, @frozenfruitco, www.frozenfruitco.com

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.

Innovative Froyo Shop: Victory Garden in New York City

Fro-yo girl here. Goat milk – yay or nay? If you love goat milk, you’ll likely love Victory Garden, a unique goat milk soft serve ice cream and frozen yogurt shop in the West Village of NYC. The petite shop is an ode to the goat and to healthy, local eating. A large picture of goats dominates one brick wall. The logo is a stylized image of a goat’s head.

The goat milk is sourced from a local farm. Soups, baked goods and some of the toppings are housemade, others are locally sourced. Flavors and toppings are seasonal. Gluten free baked goods and toppings are offered. The flavors are more sophisticated and the toppings healthier.

Flavors of the day:

* Tangy goat milk: The goat milk yogurt flavor is distinctive and delicious without being too strong (or too weak). The texture is smooth, dense and creamy and the aftertaste is sweet and clean. It tasted “cleaner” and less processed than the typical frozen yogurt. The flavor was tangy but moderately so and the slight refreshing edge was also pleasant.

* Date yogurt

* Salted caramel: Sweeter than the tangy goat milk flavor, salt flavor is subtle

* Chocolate rosemary

Toppings included fresh fruit (just strawberries during my visit), cocoa nibs, sauces (rose quince, honey, agave), sprinkles, nuts, cookies, coconut, granola and dried mulberries. Toppings labeled premium (vs. regular) are available for an additional charge ($2.19 for one premium topping, $1.09 for one regular topping). I enjoyed the sour cherry topping, with lots of chewy whole sour cherries in a sweet syrup. Look out for unusual toppings and sauces like mole sauce, raspberry rose sauce, edible flowers, blackcurrant bay leaf sauce, fennel pollen, bitter orange drizzle, and candied pine nuts.

Prices: Kid ($4.75)/ Doe ($5.50)/ Buck ($6.75)/ Hero ($12.99)

In addition to soft serve in a cup or gluten free cone, Victory Garden has juices, chia parfaits, baked goods (e.g., brownies, carrot cake with goat cheese frosting), goat milk smoothies, sandwiches, mastic coffee, tea and goat milk Greek yogurt (not frozen). Baked goods are made with housemade goat milk butter. They also sell Victory Garden t-shirts and goaty products like soap and so forth. Pick up your loyalty card. Seating is limited.

4.5 out of 5 stars

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

* VICTORY GARDEN: 31 Carmine St., New York (West Village), NY 10014

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.

Innovative Froyo Shop Spotlight: CrèmeBee in Alhambra, CA

Fro-yo girl here. CrèmeBee’s offerings aren’t innovative in Asia but they are in California. Their offerings reflect several Asian dessert trends: (1) raw honey with organic milk soft serve, (2) cotton candy on top of milk tea or soft serve, (3) nice looking parfaits.

The raw honey with organic milk soft serve was popularized by Honeymee in SoCal. Honeymee opened its first location in LA’s Koreatown. CrèmeBee’s soft serve is organic frozen yogurt; Honeymee’s is ice cream.

The cotton candy is made to order which makes a difference because packaged cotton candy tastes awful. There are two flavors: blue raspberry and purple grape. They make their own marshmallows and they’re cut into cute shapes (white clouds and yellow moons). Other toppings include raw honey, honeycomb, honey boba, pudding, honey castella cake, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce…sensing the honey theme? The plain CrèmeBee is served with raw honey ($3.95).

There are eight creations/parfaits to choose from ($3.95-$5.75) and one flavor of organic soft serve frozen yogurt. They also sell honey flavored teas and floats.

* Cloud 9 with blue raspberry cotton candy, cloud marshmallows and raw honey ($5.75): It’s super cute with that big blue cotton candy cloud. To eat it, you remove the cotton candy and put it on the tray. Tear off some cotton candy and eat it with or separate from your frozen yogurt. The frozen yogurt is plain/milk flavored. It isn’t tangy at all – it’s sweet, creamy and smooth but not as thick as Honeymee’s. The cotton candy is super light and has a hint of blue raspberry flavor. The soft marshmallows were really good – not as sweet as the packaged kind. The portion of frozen yogurt is small and there was a huge hole in the middle but with the cotton candy it felt like two desserts.

The shop is mostly white with a cute bee/honeycomb theme. I think it used to be another froyo shop called Splash Tea & Yogurt and before that A Tea Yogurt and Bluecherry Yogurt. That's four froyo places in the same spot.

CremeBee is having a grand opening celebration on August 29, 2015. The first 50 people will get free froyo. Everyone else will get 25% off that day. Doors open at 1:30 PM.

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

Rating: 4/5

* CREMEBEE, 137 W Main St., 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.

Innovative Froyo Shop Spotlight: Eb & Bean in Portland, OR

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve had my eye on Eb & Bean since they first opened in June 2014 – their use of local organic milk, handmade flavors and artisanal toppings definitely appealed to me. They also offer vegan and gluten free froyo and toppings. It was my #1 Portland must see.

Their organic probiotic frozen yogurt is rBST free, GMO free and 100% natural. The thin, tall spirals of froyo on Instagram always look amazing. 

They carry three everyday flavors (Vanilla, Chocolate, Tart) and special seasonal flavors. During my visit these were Ginger Caramel, Lemon Marionberry Buttermilk and Salty Pistachio (Non-dairy, made with almond milk). They’re always creating new flavors like Apricot Crème Fraiche, Grasshopper Pie, Garden Mint, Cardamom Caramel, etc. They haven’t had any seasonal flavor repeats. In their first year, they served 72 flavors.

Toppings are housemade or sourced from small batch local producers like Pinkleton’s salted vanilla caramel corn, Cary’s of Oregon almond toffee crumbles, and Honey Mama’s cacao nectar crumbles.  The toppings aren’t what you’d find at your typical froyo shop. They have Bakeshop cookies, streusel, candy, Jacobsen salt, nuts, local honey, candied ginger, marionberry compote, bourbon sauce, non-dairy magic shell, cinnamon sugar potato donuts, honeyed whipped cream and the list goes on. I wanted to buy the toppings and bring some home.

Prices: Small $3.75, Large $4.75, Tots $2.75 (for kids only), Pints $6, toppings $1 for the first topping

The tart flavor was mild, lightly sweetened, and milky – it tasted more like milk than tangy yogurt. The tang wasn’t there but it had a smooth, light, refreshing quality. I liked the lemon marionberry buttermilk flavor better – it was light, fruity and smooth. It tasted more like berries than lemon and the flavor wasn’t so intense that it overwhelmed the yogurt flavor. The texture isn’t creamy but it is smooth and on the icier side. The salty pistachio (non-dairy) was very sweet and it had so much pistachio flavor that I couldn’t taste the almond milk.

The shop is sleek, minimalist yet still cute (that polar bear, the wall of paper mache froyo cones and cups). There’s one communal wood table, kids’ tables and counter seating by the window. They sell Eb & Bean t-shirts – I want one. 

Cups and spoons are compostable, of course. Pick up a frequent buyer card.

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

Rating: 4/5

* EB & BEAN: 1425 NE Broadway, Portland, OR 97232

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.

Innovative Froyo Shop Spotlight: Yoga-urt in Glendale, CA

Fro-yo girl here. It’s been quite some time since the last innovative froyo shop spotlight. I’m thrilled to have found a new innovative froyo shop. Yoga-Urt, which just had its soft opening last weekend, July 18-19, combines froyo with yoga and it’s organic, vegan, kosher and soy free. It’s LA’s first all organic non-dairy froyo place.

What makes Yoga-urt innovative is that it’s dairy-free, organic, all natural, and handcrafted.  Their soft serve is made with dairy milk alternatives, mostly almond milk but they also have coconut and cashew bases. They actually make their own almond milk. Plus, all Yoga-urt soft serve has four strains of live probiotics. It’s all natural and good for you. They make their own gluten free vegan cones. Yes, it’s more expensive but the quality is higher.

They've developed nine dairy-free soft serve flavors that rotate. There are six flavors a day and it’s not self serve. The flavor names are influenced by the yoga theme. I saw one tart flavor on the menu (Tantric Tart) but it wasn’t being offered that day. The flavors are true to what they should taste like. Except for Tantric Tart, the flavors aren't tangy.

Toppings include fruit (fresh and dried), granola, coconut, mochi, nuts, chocolate chips and cacao nibs. Even the toppings are healthier. The gluten free waffle cones are made with rice milk and gluten free flour.

Froyo flavors of the day:
* Vanilla harmony: I’m a big fan – it reminds me of Pressed Juicery’s vanilla almond milk soft serve (Freeze) but much better. Vanilla harmony is creamier, less icy and less gritty but it still has that nutty flavor and very clean finish. It tastes less processed/more natural and less sweet. 
* Chocolate bliss
* Salted caramel zen
* Strawberry serenity - tastes so good, like fresh strawberries but creamier
* Ganesha’s sweet greens: Features a thick cashew base, lots going on with kale, spinach and other ingredients but I kept tasting fresh mint which I really liked
* Peanut butter prana: super dense, thick, creamy with lots of peanut butter

Froyo prices: Mini $3.75/ Small $5.25/ Medium $6.75/ Large $8.25, first topping $1, 50 cents for all additional toppings

In addition to froyo, Yoga-Urt has organic smoothies and organic drinks. Cups and spoons are compostable of course. Their products are good for you and they care about the Earth.

Yoga-urt was founded by Melissa Schulman, LA based project manager and certified yoga instructor. Her dream was to provide a healthy treat for her vegan yogi friends. Yoga-urt is in quaint, health conscious Kenneth Village, close to a yoga studio.

Grand Opening July 25-26

Yoga-urt is having its grand opening event this weekend. Mini cups will be $1 and everything else is half off. They’ll be open 10:30 AM – 8 PM on Saturday, July 25 and 11 AM – 6 PM on Sunday, July 26. Also with any purchase during the grand opening weekend, you’ll get one raffle ticket and a chance to win prizes from Kenneth Village businesses.

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

* YOGA-URT, 1407 ½ W Kenneth Rd., Glendale, CA 91201

http://www.yoga-urt.com/, @yoga_urt

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.