Halloween Spirit Report 2013

Fro-yo girl here. Happy Halloween! It’s close enough to Halloween that I’ve been busy looking for signs of Halloween spirit at froyo shops. I haven’t seen much in the decorations department. My local Halloween spirit award goes to Menchie’s which had Halloween signs and Spooky Trivia on some of the tables. 

Thanks to Twitter, Instagram and other websites, I can find evidence of Halloween spirit remotely. Some shops are giving discounts to people in costume, having costume parties, etc.

To put you in the mood for Halloween, I created a new Pinterest board called Halloween Froyo & Froyo Shop Decorations where you can find pictures of Halloween inspired cups of froyo, toppings, Halloween decorations inside froyo shops, froyo costumes, pumpkins with froyo carvings, froyo cakes, froyo pies, and more.

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.

Pumpkin Froyo Pics

Fro-yo girl here. My frozen yogurt consumption always goes up in October because pumpkin frozen yogurt is offered at so many places. Also, this year Yogurtland decided to bring back Oatmeal Cookies froyo for a limited time (thanks Yogurtland!) and Menchie’s introduced magic color changing spoons. Here’s a collage I created with my pumpkin froyo pictures from Blush (you must try their pumpkin pie froyo), Fraiche (the homemade chocolate shell and mochi are out of this world), Yogurtland and Menchie’s. 

I’ve played around with a few photo collage apps and like Instacollage the best. Some of the other ones have way too many ads. I like using PicMonkey to edit photos online, including adding text, filters and effects. They have some special Halloween themed effects that are worth checking out.

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.

Live Froyo Twitter Chat This Friday

Love talking about froyo? Then join me @froyogirl for a live Twitter chat this Friday, 10/25 from 8 - 9 PM Pacific Time. I’ll be watching and commenting on Undercover Boss the Menchie’s episode. I might even be eating some froyo at the same time.

To participate, log onto Twitter and tag your comments with #froyochat.

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.

Kanro Pure Gummy Yoghurt & Mango Japanese Candy Review

Fro-yo girl here. I found another yogurt flavored candy at Nijiya Market and this one’s pretty new. Kanro Pure is a line of chewy gummy candies.

* Yoghurt & Mango Gummy: These heart-shaped candies are adorable. They’re flat and firm. I liked the texture - it was firm and chewy without being too chewy. The hearts are coated in sugar. The flavor seemed good at first. They tasted quite tangy and like Yakult. The fruit/mango flavor is very faint. However, the aftertaste is artificial and reminds me of a children’s chewable vitamin. Children’s chewable vitamins taste okay but I don’t want my candy to taste like a vitamin.

One pouch is 1.62 ounces and $1.79.

Ingredients: sugar, corn syrup, gelatine, milk powder, concentrated mango juice, acidulant, pectine, artificial flavor, ascorbic acid, cartotenoid color

3 out of 5 stars.

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

* NIJIYA MARKET:1956 S. El Camino, San Mateo, CA 94403

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.

Drinkwell Softers Review

Fro-yo girl here. Drinkwell Softers uses St. Benoit’s organic yogurt whey and fruits and/or aromatics from the farm to create its delicious, tangy fermented healthier carbonated beverages. These soft drinks are locally made, all natural, fresh, organic and probiotic. I spotted their drinks at Canyon Market. The flavors change with the seasons but during my visit they had three very interesting flavors: Rosemary, Rose Geranium, Lavender

* Rose geranium softers: The drink is very crisp, light and refreshing with a fruity quality to it. It’s naturally carbonated, lightly sweetened, smells like roses, and pretty tangy but it doesn’t taste like yogurt

An 8.5 ounce bottle of Drinkwell Softers is $1.99 +$1.50 bottle deposit. One serving is 41 calories.

Drinkwell Softers can be found at San Francisco’s Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market on Saturdays at the Eatwell Farm stand.

4.5 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.

Fro-Yo Girl Speaks is 5 Years Old

Fro-yo girl here. Yes, it's the fifth blogiversary for Fro-Yo Girl Speaks. 

It’s been a very exciting year for me because I decided to start the International Frozen Yogurt Association (IFYA) which launched at the end of July 2013. The IFYA promotes the success of the frozen yogurt industry by recognizing quality frozen yogurt stores, increasing access to quality frozen yogurt information, and educating and engaging frozen yogurt consumers. The association is for everyone who loves frozen yogurt. Membership is free. 

I'm excited about IFYA's Swirl of Honor, the first quality seal program specifically for frozen yogurt shops, recognizes shops for their commitment to quality. I hope to see plenty of Swirl of Honor stickers on shop windows.

Initially I thought that after I launched the IFYA, I'd have less content for Fro-Yo Girl Speaks, but the opposite has occurred. Now I spend even more of my time thinking about and writing about frozen yogurt. 

I'm very close to reaching my goal of visiting every frozen yogurt shop in the Bay Area. There aren't as many openings these days and some places have closed before I had a chance to visit them. 

Thank you so much to my fans and readers and keep eating frozen yogurt!

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.

Dreaming Cow Yogurt Review

Fro-yo girl here. I found Dreaming Cow at Fresh Market for $1.69 a cup. It’s a New Zealand style artisan yogurt that’s billed as all natural and cream top. The milk comes from happy, grassfed cows from their family farm in South Georgia. Dreaming Cow’s founders are a husband (Georgia farm boy) and wife (Native of New Zealand). The New Zealand style refers to the popularity of cream top yogurt in New Zealand and also the New Zealand style rotational grazing farm.

* Vanilla agave yogurt: The ingredients are simple: whole non-homogenized milk, organic agave nectar, pure vanilla extract, live and active cultures. No additives or stabilizers are used. The tulepo honey they use is local. One 6 ounce cup is 133 calories with 5 grams of fat.You can skim off the milk fat on top.It’s not very pretty looking because of the chunks of milk fat that have formed on top and the texture is soft and slightly clumpy. It’s not as thick as Greek yogurt or as runny as the European style Traders Point Creamery yogurt. I like how the yogurt is tart and only lightly sweetened. The milk fat tastes like cream and it’s full fat, so the yogurt is heavier, richer than usual. The vanilla flavor is noticeable but not strong. It’s different than what I’m used to but the richness makes it a treat.

Dreaming Cow yogurt comes in five flavors: Plain, Honey pear, Vanilla agave, Strawberry pomegranate, Maple ginger

4.5 out of 5 stars.

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

* FRESH MARKET: 2170 W. Bayshore Rd., Palo Alto, CA 94303

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.