Menchie’s El Monte Has Closed

Fro-yo girl here. Menchie’s in El Monte, CA, quietly closed. They didn’t post any messages on social media that I could find, and they closed their Instagram account. It probably closed about a month ago. The location is no longer on the Menchie's website.

I didn’t like the shop because the frozen yogurt texture was often too icy, but they were good about putting out the new flavors. I encountered stale toppings as well. The scanner was broken for over a year, so I couldn't complete the Menchie's app game challenge. 

The shop opened in 2016, so it just turned ten. The owners may have decided not to renew the franchise agreement.

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

* MENCHIE'S, 10619 Valley Blvd Unit D, El Monte, CA 91731

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.

Tropical Lifeway Kefir Smoothie Review

Fro-yo girl here. While I was at the new Erewhon in Glendale, I noticed the various signs for smoothies. Most smoothies have bananas and some kind of sweetener…but then I saw the Tropical Lifeway smoothie, which sounded TART.

It’s made with Lifeway organic kefir, organic orange, organic lemon juice, organic pineapple, organic mango, organic mint, organic coconut cream, and organic spirulina. A small is just $12.

Tropical Lifeway Kefir Smoothie: It was thick and surprisingly tart. The pineapple flavor was the most pronounced among the fruits. The fruit flavor combined with the fresh mint flavor was fresh, vibrant, and punchy. The kefir and coconut cream added richness. I'm sure the kefir added sourness too.

The world should have more tart smoothies.

The Tropical Lifeway Kefir smoothie is available at all Erewhon locations until the end of June.

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.

Learn the Latest About Frozen Yogurt in a Free, Live, Online Class

Fro-yo girl here. Frozen Dessert University by Carpigiani North America and the International Frozen Yogurt Association just announced a brand new class, The Business of Frozen Yogurt. It’s live, online, and free. You do have to register to attend.

What’s the class about? The IFYA will present the latest trends in the frozen yogurt industry and market insights, while Carpigiani will handle the hands-on demonstration of how to make frozen yogurt.

Who is the class for? Current or prospective foodservice operators interested in serving soft serve frozen yogurt

Class Details

• Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2026
• Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT
• Format: Live online
• Cost: Free (registration required)

You’ll leave the class with:

• A clear understanding of current frozen yogurt trends
• Practical guidance on choosing the right equipment
• Creative serving ideas that drive engagement and sales
• Real world examples from successful froyo businesses
• Inspiration to build or refresh your own frozen yogurt program

Register online to reserve your spot.

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.

Valley Shepherd Creamery’s Simply Sheep Milk Yogurt Review

Fro-yo girl here. I found Valley Shepherd Creamery’s Simply Sheep Milk Yogurt at Lassen’s in Echo Park (Los Angeles). The yogurt is incubated and sold in clear glass jars. Each jar is 5.3 oz (150 g). Lassen’s was selling Simply Sheep milk yogurt for $2.99/jar.

Valley Shepherd Creamery is located in Long Valley, NJ, and its products are sold at farmers' markets in NJ and NY, as well as specialty retailers. Simply Sheep milk yogurt is made with 100% sheep’s milk with no hormones and no straining. Sheep milk has nearly twice the amount of protein as cow milk, more of the healthy fats, and more vitamins and minerals.

The fruit or flavorings are on the bottom of the jar, rather than blended into the yogurt. The conserve on the bottom is sweetened with cane sugar.

Tahitian Vanilla: The texture of the yogurt is not the same throughout because the fat rises to the top, creating a delicious cream top. The yogurt is naturally rich, creamy, and thick. It had a good amount of tang and a clean flavor with a lingering sweetness. It tasted natural but it did have too much sugar. One serving (150g) is 155 calories with 7.5g total fat, 15g total carbs, 10g total sugars, and 9g protein.

Forest Berry: Loved the cream top. The berry puree on the bottom had seeds and skin. I liked the yogurt, but once again found it to be too sweet. Forest Berry yogurt contains strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries.

Simply Sheep doesn’t have more sugar than the average yogurt, but it does taste sweeter because sheep milk tastes sweeter than cow milk. I’d like to try the plain yogurt.

4 out of 5 stars.

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

* LASSENS, 1631 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

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.

Aiko Garden Fruit Bucket Review

 

Fro-yo girl here. H Mart in Arcadia had Aiko Garden’s Fruit Bucket ice cream for just $3.99. The mini fruit-shaped ice cream treats have gone viral, and the reviews were positive. However, after trying them, I have to wonder why the reviews were positive. Yes, they are cute, but they taste very artificial.

Each Fruit Bucket is 4.06 fl oz and comes with 12 mini ice creams. The shapes match the ice cream flavors and include green grapes, mango, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and bananas. The ice cream fruit features a thin white chocolate shell and a filling of fruit-flavored ice cream. One fruit is 10g and about 25 – 30 calories. Artificial flavor is used for every fruit ice cream flavor, along with whey power, milk powder, and various gums.

The white chocolate coating flavor overwhelms the flavor of the ice cream. The chocolate shell was creamy. The ice cream was icy. Here’s how I’d rank each flavor:

• Mango: this was my favorite, it tasted like mango candy but in a good way, it also seemed a touch creamier.
• Peach: the peach flavor was faint but pleasant in a fake peach way
• Banana: I hate bananas, but I didn’t mind this flavor because it tasted more like vanilla than banana.
• Grape: sweet, tasted like fake grapes but not in a good way
• Blueberry: artificial but did taste faintly of blueberries
• Strawberry: the most artificial of the flavors, sadly

Aiko Garden is a Chinese brand. The Fruit Bucket is imported from China.

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

* H MART, 1101 Huntington Dr, Arcadia, CA 91007

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 Flavor at Yoga-urt: Black Sesame

 

Fro-yo girl here. Out of the blue, Yoga-urt announced a new flavor, Black Sesame. I’ve loved black sesame for a long time, and the new Yoga-urt flavor did not disappoint. The texture was thick, dense, smooth, and creamy, and the flavor nutty, sweet, and rich. It packed a lot of black sesame flavor; Recommended toppings: mochi. I think black sesame would be amazing with a Yoga-urt gluten-free cone.

It’s organic, gluten-free, and 100% plant-based. Black sesame froyo is available for a limited time only.

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.

Plants & Bowls in Miami Adds Yōva Greek Yogurt Ice Cream

 

Fro-yo girl here. Sadly, Miami’s Design District isn’t exactly overflowing with frozen yogurt, so when I heard that Plants & Bowls, the clean‑eating concept inside MIA Market, added a Greek yogurt ice cream option, I had to investigate. The stall is known for fresh juices, wellness shots, superfood bowls, salads, smoothies, and wraps — and as of March 2026, it now offers Yōva Greek yogurt ice cream made with 2% milk and no added sugar.

The menu lists “one scoop” for $6, but what you actually receive is a soft‑serve swirl from the machine. Toppings are $1 each, and the selection leans wholesome: fresh fruit, granola, nuts, coconut, chocolate chips, chia seeds, nut butters, agave, honey, maple syrup, date syrup, and sugar-free syrups.

There’s just one froyo flavor: plain.

The texture of the froyo is pleasantly thick — a good start for Greek froyo — but it doesn’t reach the creaminess level of some of Miami’s standout Greek yogurt shops. The bigger issue is the flavor profile. It’s mild to the point of being faint, with very little tang and not much yogurt character. It tastes more like lightly sweetened cream than true Greek yogurt.

That said, I appreciated the lower sweetness. Not every froyo needs to be a sugar bomb.

The toppings didn’t look as appealing as the other Miami froyo shops. However, in terms of value, the portion was larger than average, and the price was reasonable.

Plants & Bowls opened inside MIA Market in 2023. The MIA Market is on the second level. It is a chef-driven food hall.

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

* Plants & Bowls, 140 NE 39th St #241, Miami, Florida 33137

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.