Matcha Ren Rebrands as United Matcha, New Menu Includes Greek Froyo

Fro-yo girl here. Frozen yogurt is back at the Shops at Santa Anita! It was last spotted inside Kirin Buffet which closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I noticed the Matcha Ren shop changed names. It’s the same business but they rebranded as United Matcha and changed the menu. The new menu has matcha mochi crepes, kakigori shaved ice, parfaits, and shiratama ice cream.

Plain Greek frozen yogurt replaced Hokkaido milk soft serve on the menu. The only toppings listed on the menu were three drizzles (strawberry, mango, Kuromitsu), and mochi (these are big Japanese rice balls, not the packaged Korean mochi).

Prices:

• Cup or cone, $6.90
• Drizzles, $0.50 each
• Mochi, 3 pieces for $1

The cup was small – what I would consider to be a mini. The yogurt was better than I expected – creamy, smooth, with a milky flavor, mild tang, and sweet finish. Personally, I would prefer a stronger yogurt flavor and more tang. It wasn’t crazy sweet. The rice balls were nice and chewy.

The parfaits come with other toppings like tea jelly, toasted rice cereal, red bean paste, and matcha castella. I wonder why these aren’t available as soft serve toppings. Or are they?

Westfield Santa Anita, rebranded as the Shops at Santa Anita, was once the home of Nubi Yogurt, Tutti Frutti, Cefiore, and Sweet XO.

Matcha Ren in San Jose and Costa Mesa are now known as United Matcha (and serve Greek froyo).

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

* UNITED MATCHA: 400 S Baldwin Ave, 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.

Save the Date: National Spoon Day at Yogurtland

 

Fro-yo girl here. National Spoon Day is October 7 and Yogurtland will be offering a free Cappuccino giant spoon with every minimum $15 in store purchase. There’s a maximum of two spoons per transaction.

The Cappuccino spoon is the newest addition to the giant spoon lineup — the color feels cozy and fall appropriate. It’s exactly 12 inches long, with Yogurtland printed on the handle. The design commemorates Yogurtland’s 20th anniversary.

In case you’re wondering, the previous National Spoon Day giant Yogurtland spoons were: pink and green (2020), raspberry (2021), turquoise (2022), dark blue (2023), apricot (2024), and midnight plum (2025).

Will you be collecting the Cappuccino giant spoon?

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 Back to School Yummtastic Spoon at Menchie’s

 

Fro-yo girl here. Menchie’s just dropped a new fall, back to school spoon. The yellow spoon features Menchie holding a book that says Froyo 101. The back of the spoon shows the back of Menchie. The spoon says yummtastic! on the handle.

The spoon is available for a limited time, while supplies last. This is the fourth new Menchie’s spoon of this year.

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.

Esso Caffé in Beverly Hills Adds Froyo

 

Fro-yo girl here. Esso Caffe in Beverly Hills just started offering froyo. During my visit, they had two flavors: peach mango and plain tart Greek yogurt. The menu mentioned several toppings, but I was told that they only had sprinkles.

The employees were struggling with the soft serve machine and having difficulty dispensing any yogurt. The texture of the frozen yogurt was terrible – icy and gritty. The peach mango yogurt color was so unnatural. The plain tart was mildly tangy and bland. The peach mango yogurt was very sweet.

I rarely throw my froyo away, but I did because I just didn’t want to finish it. I was shocked by how bad the froyo was.

Esso Caffe does have another location in Glendale. I hope they don’t decide to serve froyo there unless they figure out how to do it well.

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

* ESSO CAFFE, 9646 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

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’s Exclusive Too Faced Sweet Peach Tart Flavor

 

Fro-yo girl here. Today was the launch of Yogurtland’s exclusive Too Faced Sweet Peach tart froyo flavor, inspired by the Too Faced Peach collection, which includes the Sweet Peach eyeshadow palette, Peach Perfector loose setting powder, Peach Mist hydrating setting spray, and Primed & Peachy hydrating face primer. The collection is available at Sephora and toofaced.com

They had special cups with the name of the new flavor, Yogurtland x Too Faced I Love Peaches stickers, and sweet peach gummy rings to pair with the froyo.

I don’t think the froyo flavor is new, but they might have tweaked the existing Peach Tart flavor. I enjoyed the tang, but found the peach flavor to taste canned and/or not like fresh, real peaches. The flavor is made with peaches though.

I was hoping they’d do more with the collab, like have mini Too Faced Peach samples or a giveaway/contest. I think it's the first time Yogurtland has collaborated with a beauty brand.

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.

The People of Sonoma Are Asking for Froyo

Fro-yo girl here. It’s been a long time since I visited Sonoma, but I have fond memories of walking around downtown Sonoma around Sonoma Plaza. It’s the largest town square in California.

Sadly, I’ve never had any froyo in Sonoma. And the city has been without a froyo shop since Top That Yogurt closed in 2021. There are ice cream shops, but they do not serve froyo.

Granted, the city is small with an estimated population of 10,505, but it is a popular destination. In 2025, Sonoma had 10.5 million visitors who spent $2.4 billion; 45.4% were overnight visitors.

There is a 1,100 sq ft space in front of the high school, half a mile from downtown that would be perfect for a froyo shop. If interested, call Navjot at (415) 597-6644 for details.

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.

First Pumpkin Pie Froyo of the Year

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurtland’s Pumpkin Pie froyo returned on September 1! It is the featured seasonal flavor. It’s swirling next to Cheesecake froyo. Swirl them together to create a Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Swirl.

I spotted brown sugar boba as the new topping, perfect with their Thai Tea froyo.

And I heard that there will be a new giant spoon drop on National Spoon Day, October 7. Save the date! The spoon will be a new fall color.

I also found Pumpkin Pie Ellenos on sale at Target. Yum!

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.