IFYA Celebrates Turning 2 with a Greek Froyo Maker Giveaway

Fro-yo girl here. The International Frozen Yogurt Association (IFYA) just turned two. The association has nearly 1,000 members from 88 countries. During year two, the IFYA co-sponsored three contests and added even more member benefits, including free Dole Soft Serve starter kits (approximate retail value, $50) from Kent Precision Foods Group.

To celebrate turning two, turning two, the IFYA has just announced its first Facebook caption contest. 

Prize: One winner will receive a home froyo making machine from Dash (retail value $39.99).

The mini Greek froyo maker from Dash features:

•           Makes frozen treats in just 30 minutes

•           BPA-free

•           8 liter capacity

•           Easy one switch operation

•           Add mix-ins and flavors while the unit is in operation

•           Splash guard detaches from motor for easy cleaning

•           Inner bowl fits in any freezer

•           7 watts

Who’s eligible? Any legal resident of the US, 18 years or older. No purchase is necessary. 

To enter, visit facebook.com/froyoassociation, like the Facebook contest post and post your caption by midnight PST on Thursday, August 6 for a chance to win.

Full contest rules, terms  and conditions: http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/froyo-caption-contest-official-rules-terms-and-conditions/

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.

Yoga-urt Grand Opening Pictures

Fro-yo girl here. Congrats to Yoga-urt, LA’s first all organic, vegan froyo shop. The soft serve is also Kosher and gluten free. This past weekend was the grand opening celebration, with $1 soft serve (4 ozs) and 50% off other sizes, plus a prize raffle. On Saturday they ran out of several flavors.

I think my favorite flavor is Vanilla Harmony because I like the nutty almond milk flavor and that clean finish.

Here are a few pictures from the grand opening.

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

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

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.

Yogurtland & Candy Crush Present Sweet Treats Round 2: New Sorbets, New Spoon

Fro-yo girl here. The new Yogurtland & Candy Crush “Sweet Treats” campaign continues with two new Candy Crush inspired flavors, Blue Raspberry Sorbet and Chocotastic Sorbet, and a new limited edition froyo spoon, the teal Candy Bear spoon.

* Blue Raspberry Sorbet: “Found only in the Lollipop Meadow until now, you’re sure to have a Sugar Crush on this flavorful gem! Real raspberries swirl together for a ‘Raspber-rific’ sorbet.” The pale blue color is very pretty. The sorbet had a raspberry candy/sweeter flavor. It beats blue raspberry Icees. Recommended toppings: fresh fruit, popping boba, Fruity Pebbles.
* Chocotastic Sorbet: “We climbed the cliffs of the exotic Chocolate Mountains to scour rich, real chocolate for Chocotastic Sorbet. A delicious dreamful that’s worth the trek!” This was a thick, dense sorbet that tasted like a dark chocolate fudgsicle popsicle. RecCooommended toppings: cookie dough, peanut butter cups, Cinnamon Toast Crunch

The teal Candy Bear spoons are the second of five new Candy Crush spoons. They say Tasty on the spoon handle. The back of the spoon does not show the back of the bear, a departure from previous character froyo spoon designs.

I didn’t spot any new toppings.

The next new flavors come out on August 3: Salted Caramel Gelato and Candy Clouds along with a new spoon, the Purple Flower spoon.

Visit YogurtlandSweetTreats.com for your chance to win free yogurt for a year or an unlimited cup of froyo. Ten people a day win an unlimited cup.

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.

Froyo Swirling Stars Selected

Fro-yo girl here. The Froyo Swirling Skills contest, sponsored by the International Frozen Yogurt Association (IFYA) is over and two winners have been proclaimed official froyo swirling stars.

The winners and best swirlers are:

First Prize: @db_pottery, https://instagram.com/p/4fQe99CxSz/

Second Prize: @lequarterone, https://instagram.com/p/43G7z0j_Vi/

The two winners were selected based on the Instagram videos that they submitted. The videos demonstrated their froyo swirling skills. @db_pottery is a veteran swirler while @lequarterone used the unicycle method (it’s crazy but it works) to swirl his froyo.

Be sure to check out their winning videos for inspiration.

First prize: 100 ounces of free froyo from Yogurtland

Second prize: 50 ounces of free froyo from Yogurtland

Congratulations to the winners!

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.

Unlimited Cup Lessons

Fro-yo girl here. For Yogurtland Real Reward members, the ultimate reward for eating froyo is the coveted “Unlimited Cup.”

To earn the Unlimited Cup you need to (1) be a Real Rewards member and (2) collect 520 points within a year of the day you first joined Real Rewards (or the anniversary of the day you first joined).

Generally, one ounce of froyo and toppings is equal to one point though sometimes they have double point promotions (most of these are for new Real Rewards members). The free froyo you earn along the way doesn’t earn you any points. If you buy gift cards, the points go to the person using the gift card at the time he/she is paying for the yogurt.

With the free froyo rewards every 36 points, you have to eat way more than 520 ounces to get to your Unlimited Cup. Once you earn the Unlimited Cup, you have a month to redeem it. You can redeem it at any Yogurtland store whenever you want. Whatever fits in the 16 ounce cup is yours, free.

Tips for Building Your Unlimited Cup

• (Pre-planning) Choose a day/time that isn’t busy (generally going when Yogurtland first opens should work) so people don’t get in your way. Bring a tray (e.g., the FreeHand ThumbTray from CarryOutSupplies.com makes it easy to carry multiple cups of froyo).
• (Pre-planning) Be sure to start with the 16 oz cup (if you start with the larger cup, you may have to transfer what’s in it to the 16 oz cup
• (Pre-planning) Survey the available flavors and toppings and decide what you want before you start. 
• Keep in mind that some toppings freeze better than others (e.g., fresh fruit, gummy bears don’t freeze well). Cookies and nuts still taste good when frozen. Nuts are probably the best because they don’t get soggy.
• Pick froyo flavors that will complement each other. Forget using a cup divider. 

You’re ready to start building your cup.

1. Build a base of toppings about 1 inch on the bottom – pack it solid with toppings – cookies and nuts. Use a spoon to mash together and make a smooth, even surface. The toppings base was about four ounces in my cup.
2. Add froyo – no one sees what’s inside the cup. Try swirling to fill the cup (usually I start from the edges and then fill in the center). Don’t exceed the rim of the cup. Once you’ve gotten close to the rim, stop and tap the bottom of the cup hard against the table. This will fill in any air pockets. Add more froyo till you reach the rim. Stop.
3. Add a ring of wafer roll cookies. Make sure the cookies are firmly placed in the froyo. Place them in right next to each other at a slight outward angle (not straight up and down). This will form a wider base for your froyo.
4. Swirl around the outside edges…then start building your froyo towers . Don’t move the cup too much, a gentle back and forth motion will work. Do this 3 to 5 times till you reach the maximum height. Towards the end you can place the cup on the shelf below and move it a little that way. The multiple towers add stability to the overall structure. The goal is to get to 50-70 ounces.
5. Add additional toppings if desired. Redeem your reward. Take plenty of pictures. Grab a few cups to transfer your froyo to so that you can take it home. The tray will come in handy.

For additional inspiration, check out the Pinterest board, Unlimited Cups of Froyo.

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.

Yogurtland Candy Crush Launch Party

Fro-yo girl here. I’m back from the Yogurtland Candy Crush launch party at my local Yogurtland. The “Sweet Treats” campaign launches on July 6 and runs through September 13. The party was similar to the preview party I attended at Yogurtland HQ.

Most of the Candy Crush parties took place on Saturday, July 11. Not every party was the same. Some locations gave out free froyo from 11 AM – 2 PM. Others didn’t have free froyo. They all had giveaways related to Candy Crush – including Candy Crush Yogurtland tote bags, temporary tattoos and pins. Some places had face painting and DJs.

The new Candy Crush inspired flavors, Orange Fizz Sorbet and Maple Donut, were present, along with Candy Crush inspired toppings. Plus they had Sodalicious orange Candy Crush spoons.

At my Yogurtland the first 50 people received a Candy Crush tote bag. I also won a Yogurtland t-shirt and Candy Crush tattoos. There were two different games. One was the spin the prize wheel. The other involved dropping a token into a board with pegs and seeing where it wound up.  

Be sure to visit Yogurtland often during the Candy Crush promotion to earn sweet surprises (it's part of the Sweet Challenge) and enter to win prizes at yogurtlandsweettreats.com

Thanks Yogurtland!

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.