Culina Yogurt Review

Fro-yo girl here. I first spotted Culina Yogurt at Sprouts a few months ago, but it was pricey (over $4), so I didn’t get it. I finally found it at Lassens for $3.99. Surprisingly, Sprouts charges quite a bit more than Lassen's and Whole Foods. The packaging changed from the terracotta pots to clear glass jars. The jars look like the kind you’d use to make your own yogurt at home. One jar is 5 oz.

Based in Austin, Texas, Culina is a woman-owned business that makes thick, probiotic, fermented coconut yogurt. The plant-based, vegan, paleo yogurt has no gums, starches or fillers. I like how it’s made with a few ingredients and is all-natural. I also like the glass jar and the recipes that come with the jars of yogurt. I bet that it would make incredible frozen yogurt. I wish they offered more flavors.

* Strawberry Rose: I’ve tried my share of plant-based, dairy-free yogurt, and Culina’s is the best that I've tried. Thanks to the coconut cream, it’s rich and creamy. The fermentation provides that sour taste of dairy yogurt that’s often missing from plant-based yogurt. It’s truly thick and tangy. And they don’t mess it up by adding too much sugar. The texture was smooth though some separation had occurred (stir before consumption). So good! I could taste the strawberry and coconut, but I didn’t notice the rose oil though.

* Bourbon Vanilla: Also very good with mild vanilla flavor.

Available flavors: Plain & Simple, Bourbon Vanilla, Blueberry Lavender, Strawberry Rose

Ingredients (Strawberry Rose): Organic coconut, water, organic strawberries, organic maple syrup, agar, rose oil, probiotic cultures.

One serving of Strawberry Rose is 220 calories, 18g total fat, 11g carbs, 9g sugars, and 2g protein. The yogurt is high in fat but it’s worth the indulgence.

5 out of 5 stars.

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.

New Pinkberry Flavor, Watermelon Lime Frozen Yogurt & a Discontinued Topping

Fro-yo girl here. Pinkberry has a new summer flavor…Watermelon Lime frozen yogurt. I first found out about it through an Instagram ad, before it was announced on August 7. New tart froyo flavors are so rare these days. Watermelon is a great flavor for the summer – light and refreshing. National Watermelon Day, August 3, would have been the perfect launch date for the new flavor.

Watermelon Lime frozen yogurt: The flavor wasn’t as refreshing as I expected, but it was tangier than I expected too. The texture was quite thick and creamy, more so than their Original Tart flavor. Tangy watermelon as a flavor is unusual since watermelon is usually so sweet. I didn’t notice the lime but maybe the lime is why the yogurt was extra tangy? Mr. Froyo thought it tasted more like cherry/berry than watermelon. There were no new toppings introduced to accompany Watermelon Lime frozen yogurt. Recommended toppings: Berries, mochi. Too bad they didn’t have any fresh watermelon cubes.

I asked for the pizzelle cookie and was told that the company that makes them closed for good because of the coronavirus. What? I don’t know if it’s true or not. But I did look on Instagram and the recent Pinkberry posts do not feature the pizzelle cookie. Oh no....

Also, I found a flavor on the Pinkberry app that I haven’t seen in stores yet, dairy-free Coconut Milk Lemon Crème. Did I miss the announcement of this new flavor? I could not find a press release for the release of Coconut Milk Lemon Crème.

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.

Here’s the official press release from Pinkberry:

Pinkberry Introduces New Watermelon Lime Frozen Yogurt

Aug 07, 2020, 09:07 ET

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pinkberry (www.Pinkberry.com) is excited to launch the refreshing frozen yogurt flavor, Watermelon Lime. This tart swirl will be available beginning August 7.

This mouthwatering flavor is sure to delight with its sweet and tangy taste that provides a light and refreshing treat on a hot summer day.

"The delicious combination of watermelon and lime brings a sweet but tart taste that guests will go wild over," said Melissa Hubbell, senior director of marketing for Kahala Brands™, parent company of Pinkberry. "Pinkberry is known for creating unique and vibrant swirly goodness, and this Watermelon Lime frozen yogurt is no exception!"

At Pinkberry, guests can customize their swirl with a variety of toppings that include fresh, never frozen, fruit that is hand-cut in stores daily, along with premium granolas and nuts, specialty chocolates, and much more. Pinkberry is swirling with possibilities.

About Pinkberry

Pinkberry® launched in Los Angeles, CA in 2005 as the original brand that reinvented frozen yogurt. Today, over a decade later, Pinkberry continues to create great tasting treats with fresh ingredients in an experience comprised of distinctive product, outstanding service, and inspirational design. At Pinkberry you can taste the difference of an uncompromising commitment to quality and freshness. Most recently, Pinkberry U.S. was acquired by Scottsdale, Arizona-based Kahala Brands™, one of the fastest growing franchising companies in the world with a portfolio of nearly 29 fast-casual and quick-service restaurant brands with approximately 3000 locations in 35 countries.

For more information about Pinkberry, visit www.Pinkberry.com

For more information about Kahala Brands, visit www.KahalaBrands.com

Menchie’s South Pasadena Switches to Full Service and Flat Rate Pricing (Other Menchie’s Are Doing It Too)

Fro-yo girl here. Menchie’s in South Pasadena, CA has been full service for awhile now, due to the coronavirus but now they no longer charge by weight. I was surprised to see their new format with fixed rate pricing and full service.

The options:

• Small: 2 flavors, 1 topping, $4.99
• Regular: 2 flavors, 2 toppings, $6.99
• Large: 2 flavors, 2 toppings, $9.99

I wonder why they’re restricting the number of toppings too. I wonder how many ounces you get. What if you don’t want any toppings? They seem to have fewer toppings choices now. It just seems so restrictive and unappealing for a place that was once about choice and self-service. If you could get your own yogurt and toppings, it would be fine but since you can’t, it’s just like the old days of froyo before self-serve when they charged per topping but worse, because those shops allowed you to get froyo without toppings.

Interestingly, other Menchie’s locations in Northeast Ohio and Erie, PA are offering flat rate pricing and full service. I heard Menchie's in Glendale, CA and Santa Monica, Montana Ave. are doing the same.

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.

New Flavors at Menchie’s: HI-CHEW Passion Fruit & HI-CHEW Mango, Swirl Them Together to Make a HI-CHEW Tropical Smoothie

Fro-yo girl here. Remember last July when Menchie’s came out with HI-CHEW Dragon Fruit frozen yogurt? They even gave out samples of the new HI-CHEW Dragon Fruit candy with a HI-CHEW coupon. This summer, Menchie’s has come out with new HI-CHEW froyo flavors, two of them: Mango and Passion Fruit. Swirled them together for a HI-CHEW Tropical Smoothie in your cup.

To try the new flavor, I had to travel out to Granada Hills. The Menchie’s locations in San Fernando Valley are better than the ones in San Gabriel Valley. The ones in SGV don’t even have the Best Friends spoons yet, let alone any of the new HI-CHEW flavors.

The Granada Hills Menchie’s had samples of HI-CHEW Tropical Smoothie candy and coupons. The online coupon code is MENCHIES. Cute. The candy, which combines two separate flavors, was really good – very chewy with bursts of sweet mango and a tangier passion fruit flavor. I’ve been a long-time fan of HI-CHEW, though I don’t eat as much candy as I used to. HI-CHEW is like Starburst with better flavors and I think it’s a bit softer and chewier.

• HI-CHEW Mango: It did taste like the HI-CHEW Mango candy, so it was quite sweet. The texture was icier, more like a sorbet than a frozen yogurt – even though it’s not a sorbet. It was too sweet for me. One of the reasons I like HI-CHEW the candy is the chewy texture. The froyo version loses that, of course. HI-CHEW Mango is nonfat. Recommmended toppings: Mango, mochi for chewiness, popping boba.
• HI-CHEW Passion Fruit – not available yet in Granada Hills

According to the Menchie’s website, ““When you swirl HI-CHEW Mango and HI-CHEW Passion Fruit you get a tasty summer treat. These nonfat flavors are made with no artificial flavors, no artificial colors, no high fructose corn syrup, and they are gluten-free.”

FYI, Menchie’s Granada Hills is currently full service.

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.

Here’s the official press release about the new flavors:

Double The Froyo Fun with HI-CHEW™ and Menchie's Frozen Yogurt

The two limited-edition frozen yogurt flavors include Mango and Passion Fruit, which swirl together to create Tropical Smoothie

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- HI-CHEW™, the immensely fruity, intensely chewy candy joins forces with Menchie's Frozen Yogurt, North America's largest self-serve frozen yogurt franchise to unveil a frozen treat experience like never before: two new vibrant flavors! HI-CHEW™ Mango and HI-CHEW™ Passion Fruit can be enjoyed on their own or swirled together to create the mouthwatering flavor of HI-CHEW™ Tropical Smoothie. The new HI-CHEW™ and Menchie's frozen yogurt flavors will roll out throughout the month of August at participating Menchie's stores nationwide.

When warm-weather adventures lead to the search for cooling treats, these new frozen yogurt flavors create a bright and refreshing taste reminiscent of classic, tropical drinks on the beach, no matter the location. The limited-edition offerings take inspiration from one of HI-CHEW™'s newest flavors, Tropical Smoothie, which debuted earlier this year within the Fruit Combos mix. The Menchie's team and HI-CHEW™ confectionary experts worked to honor the double layer and true-to-fruit flavors of Mango and Passion Fruit to bring these creations to life.

This collaboration is the second between HI-CHEW™ and Menchie's. The two brands first teamed up in July 2019 to create HI-CHEW™ Dragon Fruit Frozen Yogurt, a sweet yet tart treat inspired by the fan favorite HI-CHEW™ Dragon Fruit flavor. This year's new frozen yogurt additions continue to creatively showcase HI-CHEW™ while elevating the collaboration with the option to swirl.

"The idea of layering two flavors together to create something new was integral to the development of HI-CHEW™ Tropical Smoothie, and seeing the product brought to life in an unexpected way is exciting for us," said Tatsuya Takamiya, Chief Marketing Officer of Morinaga America, Inc. "We're thrilled that consumers can enjoy the true-to-fruit taste of HI-CHEW™ through these frozen yogurt flavors while celebrating the innovative dual layers of the Tropical Smoothie chewlet."

HI-CHEW™ is committed to the quality of its products, consistently conducting research into industry trends and the evolving consumer palate to develop new flavors. The dedication to true-to-flavor taste preferences has helped the brand achieve year-over-year double digit growth since its launch in America in 2008. Menchie's, which has created unique frozen yogurt flavors since its introduction to the market in 2007, shares a similar commitment to its guests through fresh flavors and unique brand partnerships.

"We are excited to partner with Morinaga America, Inc. and launch two new delicious HI-CHEW frozen yogurt flavors throughout the month of August," said Elizabeth Berry, VP of Marketing at Menchie's Frozen Yogurt. "We are committed to offering high-quality frozen treats that appeal to consumers of all ages and are confident that our guests will love our HI-CHEW Mango and HI-CHEW Passion Fruit froyo flavors."

The new HI-CHEW™ Mango and HI-CHEW™ Passion Fruit flavors will roll out throughout the month of August at participating Menchie's stores nationwide. Check in with your local Menchie's location to learn about availability. To learn more about HI-CHEW™ and purchase your favorite products, please visit us online at HI-CHEW.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram (@HICHEWUSA) and Twitter (@HICHEW).

About Morinaga America, Inc.:

Established in 2008, Morinaga America, Inc. is the official distributor of HI-CHEW™ in the United States. With over 185 flavors of HI-CHEW™ having debuted in Japan, Morinaga America, Inc. has introduced the United States market to the best of Japanese confectionery. Morinaga America, Inc. (marketing and sales) and Morinaga America Foods, Inc. (manufacturing) are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Morinaga & Co., Ltd., which began in 1899 as the first, modern candy maker and producer of chocolates in Japan. In 2015, Morinaga America, Inc. opened its first United States manufacturing facility in North Carolina.

About HI-CHEW™:

The history of Morinaga stretches back over a century when company founder Taichiro Morinaga brought his candy making skills to Japan from America in the 1800s. HI-CHEW™ has long been the best-selling soft candy in Japan and continues to see year-over-year growth throughout other parts of Asia and in the United States. In the United States, HI-CHEW™ is currently offered in the following flavors: Strawberry, Green Apple, Mango, Grape, Banana, Kiwi, and Açaí. HI-CHEW™ also offers a Tropical Mix with Kiwi, Mango, and Pineapple, a Superfruit Mix with Açaí, Kiwi and Dragon Fruit, a Soda Pop Mix with Cola and Ramune and a Sweet & Sour Mix with Grapefruit, Lemon and Watermelon. The latest offering from the candy brand is the HI-CHEW™ Fruit Combos Mix, featuring new flavors Tropical Smoothie and Piña Colada. HI-CHEW™ is made with concentrated fruit juices and is 100% free of gluten, cholesterol and synthetic colors. HI-CHEW™ continues to expand fruity, chewy flavor offerings annually.

About Menchie's Frozen Yogurt:

Menchie's is North America's largest self-serve frozen yogurt franchise. With 500 stores, the franchise has locations open in the United States, Canada, Japan, China, Australia, India, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Puerto Rico. Guaranteeing happiness in every cup, the brand offers guests premium rotating yogurt flavors and delicious toppings for unlimited combinations in every bite. The proprietary collection is made from the milk of "happy" California cows, which have not been treated with artificial growth hormones (rBST). Menchie's frozen yogurt contains live and active cultures and has received the Live and Active Culture (LAC) seal indicating its endorsement by the National Yogurt Association.

Costco Drops Frozen Yogurt!

Fro-yo girl here. Costco no longer serves frozen yogurt? Say it isn’t so! Given the volume of frozen yogurt sold by Costco at its food court, this was major news. They’ve been serving YoCream froyo for many years. For many years, they offered two froyo flavors, nonfat vanilla and chocolate. You could also get froyo with strawberries. Many people loved the froyo. If you search Costco froyo on Twitter, there are many mentions. For some, the froyo was the main reason they went to Costco. The froyo was just $1.35 or $1.65 for the very berry sundae. 

In mid-2018, Costco dropped chocolate frozen yogurt, replacing it with soft serve acai, in an effort to provide healthier options. The acai was also much more expensive than the chocolate froyo ($4.99 bowl, $2.99 for a froyo/acai swirl). I never tried the acai (I don’t like acai bowls because the acai usually has banana) but the reviews were mixed.

Costco replaced frozen yogurt with soft serve ice cream in June/July 2020. The ice cream is $1.99 for a cone or $2.49 for a sundae, still plenty cheap.

One thing that I don’t understand is why they don’t still offer froyo when the soft serve machines have a dual hopper and they could easily offer two flavors. There was no announcement or official word from Costco. 

IKEA, don't fail me now...

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.

Menchie’s Finally Adds Flavor Finder to Mobile App But Many Stores Aren’t Updating Their Flavors

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve been asking for a flavor finder feature from Menchie’s for years now. I was tired of calling multiple stores looking for a particular flavor. Why was it so hard to find out the current flavors?

I mentioned the need for Menchie’s to offer a flavor locator on my froyo wish list in 2017, 2018, and 2020. In 2018, it looked like Menchie’s was working on a flavor locator. I didn’t hear anything about it in 2019. Guess what? They finally added the flavor finder to their app and website this year.

To find the flavors of the day on the Menchie’s website, find the store you want to go to and the flavors will be listed under Flavors. On the Menchie’s app, find a store and then select Flavors from the store page. If the store hasn’t updated its flavors, you’ll see a list of all the Menchie’s flavors. If they have updated their flavors, you’ll only see the flavors that are currently swirling.

So how many Menchie’s locations update their flavors? Here’s what I found for the locations near me. No means that the shop did not have a list of current flavors.

1. Alhambra: No
2. Baldwin Park: No
3. Chatsworth: No
4. Culver City: No
5. Downey: No
6. Eagle Rock: No
7. El Monte: No
8. Gage Village: No
9. Glendale: No
10. La Puente: No
11. Pico Rivera: No
12. Santa Monica – Montana Ave: No
13. Santa Monica – Ocean Park: No
14. South El Monte: No
15. South Pasadena: No
16. Universal City: No
17. Van Nuys: No
18. West Hills: No
19. Westchester Village: No
20. Winnetka: No
21. Woodland Hills: No

Only four of the locations that I looked at had the current flavors. Each of these deserve a special star:

1. Burbank: YES!
2. Valley Village: YES!
3. Sherman Oaks: YES!
4. Encino: YES!

That’s 16% - when the majority of shops aren’t updating their list of current flavors, having a flavor finder feature has limited usefulness. What’s wrong with these shops that can’t be bothered to update their flavors? This is why I go out of my way to go to the Menchie’s in Valley Village. The service is better there and the yogurt texture is better. The shop also looks clean. If only other Menchie’s locations were the same. It’s interesting that all the locations that update their flavors are close to Menchie’s HQ.

The other issue is accuracy. Of the locations that do update their flavors, how accurate are those updates? I've already encountered one store that didn't list one of the flavors they offered, even though they updated their flavors.

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.

Plant-Based Coconut Blend Non-Dairy Siggi’s Review

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve been a long time fan of Siggi’s and I was curious about their new plant-based yogurt made with coconut, pea protein and macadamia nuts. I looked for it at Target and Sprouts – no luck. But Whole Foods had three of the four non-dairy Siggi’s flavors. One cup is 5.3 oz and $1.99 at Whole Foods.

The idea of plant-based yogurt by Siggi’s seemed odd to me, but they’ve been expanding the product line so that they offer more than skyr. The products are connected by offering more protein and less sugar than leading alternatives. They say that “Siggi’s plant-based coconut blend has 3x more protein & 40% less sugar than leading yogurt alternatives.”

* Vanilla & Cinnamon: The texture is thinner than skyr and more like regular yogurt. The flavor was definitely sour and though I could see vanilla bean specks, the vanilla flavor was hard to detect. It tasted like sour cinnamon coconut with a powdery, chalky aftertaste thanks to the pea protein. It was somewhat odd. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it either. I think it would taste better without pea protein. One serving is 190 calories, 11g fat, 13g carbs, 9g sugars and 10g protein.

* Raspberry: It was very flavorful. I tasted the sour raspberry first and then the chalky pea protein. The flavor is a bit odd but I did like the raspberry flavor and the bits of raspberry. I can’t get over the chalky protein flavor though. And the brownish color wasn’t visually appealing.

Available flavors: Raspberry, Vanilla & Cinnamon, Mixed Berries, Mango

3 out of 5 stars

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.