Froyo Scene in Antioch, CA

 

Fro-yo girl here. I recently visited a dear friend who lives in Antioch, and this led to the realization that there are NO froyo shops in Antioch. How sad!

Antioch is the second most populous city in Contra Costa County, behind Concord, with a population of 115,077 and an average household income of $128,201. It is located on the banks of the San Joaquin River.

They did have froyo shops in the past, but not many. My friend and her mom both remember a froyo place that was open in the late 90s, but they couldn’t remember the name. Perhaps it was Yogurt Place?

Costco in Antioch would have offered froyo back in the day, but they now serve soft serve ice cream instead of froyo.

Brentwood has had more froyo shops, and a few are still open.

Closed Froyo Shops

• The Spot, 4609 Golf Course Rd, was a froyo shop that was open 11 years ago.
• Swirls, 4049 Lone Tree Way, Ste C, was a self-serve froyo shop that opened in October 2017 and may have closed in 2018.
• Uphoria Yogurt, 5009 Lone Tree Way, seems to have opened in 2012 and might have closed in 2013.
• Yogurt Place, 747 Sanger Peak Way, was a frozen yogurt shop. I couldn’t find any additional information about it, so I assume that it was open a long time ago.

Did I miss any froyo shops? If so, let me know.

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.

OHME! Freeze-Dried Yogurt Crunch Snacks Review

 

Fro-yo girl here. OHME! is a line of freeze-dried healthy snacks based in Vancouver, Canada. Their snacks include freeze-dried fruit and yogurt crunch bites. The yogurt crunch bites are made with British Columbia Greek yogurt, fruit, and sweetened with organic apple juice. That’s all. There is no added sugar and the ingredients are non-GMO.

I found OHME! snacks at Killer Ice Cream in Vancouver, Canada, and also Helms Bakery in Los Angeles. A 44g pack of fruit yogurt crunch retails for $9 US and can be purchased online on the OHME! online store. The yogurt crunch can be enjoyed as a snack, used as a crunchy topping, or added to baked goods.

Strawberry Yogurt Crunch: There were ten small cubes in the mini pack. Each is about the size of a mini marshmallow. The fruit is blended into the yogurt and then freeze-dried. The cube melts in your mouth. It’s fairly tangy and crunchy. I could taste the strawberries. They taste natural and they’re yummy, but they are expensive for what you get. I’d prefer a cup of good yogurt, but the freeze-dried yogurt crunch is much more convenient if you’re on the go.

One bag is 45 calories, 1g fat, 1g protein, 8g carbs, and 10g sodium.

Flavors: Strawberry, Mango, Pumpkin & Carrot, Raspberry, Dragon Fruit

Freeze-dried yogurt snacks are popular in Asia. 

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

* HELMS BAKERY: 8800 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90034

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 Yogurtland Cup Designs and New Topping

 

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurtland has new cups. They’re magenta and say Love Joy Hope. There are hand-drawn hearts and stars in the background.

I also tried the new 4-D heart-shaped gummies. They’re very firm and chewy. The fruity flavor might be cherry but it could also be strawberry? The sign doesn’t say what flavor they are.

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.

Innovative Froyo Shop: Krave Kulture in North Vancouver

Fro-yo girl here. I don’t encounter too many innovative froyo shops, so it’s always a big thrill to find one. They’re worth seeking out and making a special effort to visit.

Krave Kulture in North Vancouver is Vancouver’s first craft yogurt shop. It’s owned by a local couple with Persian roots and a deep love of yogurt. When Krave Kulture first opened, they offered yogurt and kefir made in-house with live probiotic cultures and BC organic, non-GMO milk. The process takes 24 hours. People kept asking for froyo and thankfully, they added decided to add froyo.

The menu includes fresh yogurt bowls, bagels with housemade yogurt spread, milkshakes, affogato, froyo sundaes, and smoothies. There’s a lot of goodness to choose from, including healthy toppings.

Froyo flavors of the day:

• Chocolate
• Tart vanilla
• Raspberry
• Mango
• Passion fruit
• Strawberry
• Mint
• Pineapple

All the froyo is made with a tart base (yay!) and they offer samples. We loved everything that we sampled. The froyo was thick, smooth, and fresh/natural tasting. Both were tart and clean tasting but not super tart. Everything was very fresh. It’s very rare to find a froyo place that makes the yogurt from scratch.

Pick up prepacked froyo pints, fresh yogurt in glass jars, housemade salad dressing, kefir, housemade gluten-free no sugar added granola, housemade yogurt spread, and pickles.

They make their products with love. Go there if you love yogurt and froyo. Or find them at Stong’s Market in Vancouver. A second location will open soon in the Lonsdale Quay Market in North Vancouver.

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

* KRAVE KULTURE, 3151 Edgemont Blvd, North Vancouver, BC V7R 2N9, Canada

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.

Vancouver, Canada Froyo Update

Killer Ice Cream

Fro-yo girl here. The Metro Vancouver regional district includes multiple cities, villages, municipalities, etc., with a total population of over 2.6 million. Due to the large size of the the area, I’m going to focus on froyo in North Vancouver (population 58,120), Richmond (population 209,937), Vancouver (population 662,248), and West Vancouver (population 44,122).

My last Vancouver froyo report was in 2011. In that post, I mentioned Saporito (it closed in 2011), Footo Delights (it became Footo Croissants and it’s still open), the Milkman, Yogen Fruz, Qoola, and Pinkberry. I had some horrible froyo at Footo Delights. Thankfully, they stopped offering froyo. Of the shops that I mentioned in 2011, The Milkman at the Granville Island Public Market is the only one that is still open, and it still serves froyo blended with real fruit.

Many froyo shops have come and gone since 2011, including multiple locations of Qoola and multiple froyo trucks. Qoola started with one store in the West End of Vancouver, BC in 2008. Pinkberry has one location left in Canada and it’s in Toronto. The closest (to Vancouver) Yogen Fruz is now in Burnaby.

You can still get froyo in Vancouver but there aren’t that many froyo shops left.

The Milkman

Current Places to Get Froyo

• Berry’s Frozen Yogurt, 6685 Royal Ave, West Vancouver, serves mix-in style frozen yogurt blended with fresh fruit.
• IKEA, 320 Jacombs Rd Unit 1, Richmond, serves soft serve froyo and is surely the cheapest place to get your froyo fix.
• Killer Ice Cream, 3659 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, specializes in Australian-style real fruit ice cream. Guests choose a base (vanilla ice cream, froyo, oat ice cream, cashew-coconut ice cream) which is then blended to order with a choice of fruits and fresh herbs. The froyo is made with BC dairy.
• Krave Kulture, 3151 Edgemont Boulevard, North Vancouver, started out making kefir (not frozen kefir) and yogurt from scratch with local milk and live cultures. They later added frozen yogurt, smoothies, sweet and savory yogurt bowls, bagels with housemade yogurt spreads, and more. Their dairy products are made in-house with organic Canadian milk. Krave Kulture will be opening at the Lonsdale Quay Market in North Vancouver in 2025, and they recently started selling their pre-packed froyo pints at Stong’s Market.
• Menchie’s, 412 Davie Street Vancouver, has been open in Yaletown since 2015.
• The Milkman, 1689 Johnston St, Vancouver, offers mix-in fruit froyo inside the Granville Island Public Market.
• TCBY, 1503 Bellevue Ave, West Vancouver, is a counter-serve outpost of the well-known chain
• Timothy’s Frozen Yogurt, 3800 Bayview St, Richmond, is a Canadian classic that opened in 1989 as a small café and gelato shop on the Steveston Pier. In 2024, Timotny’s won the Best Ice Cream in the Best of Richmond.

Possible Places to Get Froyo

• Freshii has locations throughout the Vancouver area, including at the airport. Freshii used to (or still offers?) froyo. The Vancouver International Airport - Level 3 Freshii does not offer froyo.
• Frux, 141-123 Carrie Cates Ct, North Vancouver, is inside the Lonsdale Quay Market. They served organic frozen yogurt, smoothies, Liege waffles, ice cream, and more. At some point they changed their name from Frux Organic Frozen Yogurt to Frux Gelato. In the early days they even served kale frozen yogurt. I’m not sure, but my guess is that they no longer serve froyo.
• I Am Yogost, multiple locations, offered frozen yogurt bark during the summer. Not all locations carried the froyo bark.
• YoYo’s, Scotiabank Theater, 8882 170 Street NW, Vancouver, can be found inside the theatre. YoYo’s claimed to be Canada’s first self-serve froyo. It’s no longer listed on the theater’s website, so it must have closed.

I noticed that there are more places to get tofu pudding in Vancouver than there are places to get froyo. Unfortunately, most of the tofu pudding places are outside of downtown Vancouver. Richmond seems to be the place to go for the best tofu pudding. There’s even a tofu pudding food truck called Talk Soy To Me.

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.

Nature’s Fynd Dairy-Free Yogurt Review

 

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve tried many kinds of yogurt but Nature’s Fynd offers something different; it’s a vegan yogurt made with fungi-based protein. The yogurt is also soy-free and nut-free. Whole Foods carries Nature’s Fynd yogurt. The 5.3 oz cups are priced at $1.89. Available flavors: strawberry, peach, vanilla.

They only had the vanilla flavor during my visit to Whole Foods in Pasadena.

Vanilla yogurt: The texture was smooth and creamy. It smelled like vanilla and something else. The flavor was tangy and sweet but with a bitter, rotten aftertaste. The taste may be something someone can get used to but it was also too sweet. I couldn’t finish the cup.

One serving is 170 calories, 8g total fat, 17g total carbs, 9g total sugars, and 8g total protein.

2 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.

First New Yogurtland Spoon of 2025 & New Sticker Sheets

 

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurtland has Valentine’s Day on the brain…the new Yogurtland spoons, the first new Yogurtland spoons of 2025, are red and feature a teddy bear holding a big heart with the Yogurtland symbol in the middle.

And they have new sticker sheets for Valentine’s Day. There are ten stickers per sheet and the same teddy bear shows up twice: as part of the spoon design and by himself.

The spoons and stickers are available for a limited time, while supplies last.

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’s New Seasonal Exclusive Flavor, Salted Caramel Cheesecake & NFYD Details

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurtland’s first new flavor of 2025 is…Salted Caramel Cheesecake frozen yogurt. The new flavor is made with real cream cheese and real caramel. Yogurtland describes Salted Caramel Cheesecake as a “luscious dessert [that] features rich and creamy cheesecake perfectly paired with velvety salted caramel.” I like Yogurtland’s cheesecake froyo and don’t care for salted caramel in general. That said, I actually liked the flavor – it tastes more like salted caramel to me, but the cheesecake makes it a bit richer and more complex. It tastes richer like butterscotch. Recommended toppings: cheesecake, chopped almonds.

Yogurtland also brought back the Chocolate Strawberry Swirl by placing Dutch Chocolate froyo and Fresh Strawberry froyo in the same machine.

And I saw the signs for National Frozen Yogurt Day. On February 6, enjoy BOGO free on froyo cups and 2x points for Real Rewards members.

For Valentine’s Day, they have a special gift card holder that’s complimentary when you buy a gift card, while supplies last.

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.

Los Angeles County Fire Froyo Update

 

The Yogurt Shoppe

Toppings

Fro-yo girl here. The ongoing Palisades Fire, the largest of the recent fires in Los Angeles County, burned through 23,000 acres as of late January 11. Over 5,300 structures were destroyed, including two frozen yogurt shops.

The Yogurt Shoppe owners lost two shops in Pacific Palisades: the original location at 873 N Swarthmore Ave and Toppings Frozen Yogurt a block away at 872 Via De La Paz. 

The Shoppe first opened in 2011. Toppings Frozen Yogurt opened in 2012.

There is a Go Fund Me fundraiser to help the employees of both shops and to help with rebuilding the shops. 

The Eaton Fire did not destroy any frozen yogurt shops because there is no frozen yogurt shop in Altadena. I don’t think Altadena has ever had a frozen yogurt shop. It doesn’t even have an ice cream or boba shop.

Yoga-urt in Glendale lost product due to the power outage during the fire. Bloomfield Creamery in Pasadena was a mile from the fire. They were closed until January 14, lost product, and three employees lost their residences. Yogurtland in East Pasadena is near the Eaton Fire. The shop has not been damaged by the fire but reduced its hours because of the unhealthy air quality.

Go Greek, Menchie's Encino, and Yoga-urt are offering free meals to first responders. The Yogurt Shoppe and Menchie’s in Sherman Oaks are collecting donations of essentials for fire victims.

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 January Promotions & NFYD Details

 

Fro-yo girl here. Happy Veganuary! Menchie’s just brought back fan favorite, Vegan Cake Batter made with almond milk soft serve. Another fan favorite feature flavor, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup froyo, is also back for a limited time.

Vegan Cake Batter made with almond milk was first introduced in June 2023. The flavor is nonfat, gluten-free, dairy-free, and made with no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, and no high fructose corn syrup. IMHO, it’s just too sweet but if you like cake batter, you might enjoy it.

I do really like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup froyo, especially with chocolate shell, Peanut M&Ms, Butterfinger, and mini Nutter Butter cookies.

Featured flavors are available at participating stores for a limited time only, while supplies last.

Also, you can earn Double Smiles every Tuesday in January when you scan your Menchie’s app at the register. It’s free to join and start earning points towards free froyo.

Be sure to save the date, February 6, for National Frozen Yogurt Day. The signs are already up at Menchie’s. This year, the offer is buy one, get one free on February 6. You can also earn double smiles when you scan your Menchie’s app in-store from February 7 – 20.

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 Froyo Flavor, Yuzu Meringue

 

Fro-yo girl here. Pinkberry’s first new frozen yogurt flavor of 2025 is…Yuzu Meringue. Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit that looks like a round lemon. Pinkberry’s new flavor is described as “citrusy, vibrant, and smooth.” They recommend topping Yuzu Meringue froyo with fresh raspberries and the new crumbled pie crust topping.

Yuzu Meringue froyo: IMHO, it tasted like a sweet orange and a sweet lemon. The flavor wasn’t as tart as some of their other tart flavors, but it still had a tang. I can see why they call it a smooth flavor – it’s not as tart as the typical lemon. The meringue also softens the flavor. I liked it, but it’s not one of my favorite Pinkberry flavors. Recommended toppings: pie crust, Belgian butter waffle cookie, fresh fruit, and mochi.

Yuzu Meringue is available at participating stores nationwide until March 13, 2025.

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.

Price Hike at Yogurtland Lake in Pasadena

 

Fro-yo girl here. It’s a new year and that almost always means a price increase at Yogurtland Lake in Pasadena. I can’t think of any January when they haven’t had a price increase.

Last January, they went from charging $0.67/oz in December 2023, to $0.69/oz in January 2024. In February 2024, the price was increased to $0.71/oz. In March, it went up to $0.75/oz. It remained at $0.75/oz till now. The price is now $0.77/oz. The price went up three times last year. Crazy. I think it was the first time they had three price increases in one year?

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

* YOGURTLAND: 415 S Lake Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101

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.

Bacio di Latte Opens in Pasadena and Makes Yogurt Gelato

Fro-yo girl here. Bacio di Latte opened on December 23, 2024, in the old 21 Choices Frozen Yogurt space. 21 Choices moved to another location nearby and then a plant and beauty store occupied the space. 

Bacio di Latte was founded by two brothers in Milan, Italy, in 2011. The gelato is made daily in-store with organic milk so that it’s fresh. They also use the best raw materials like Italian pistachios, Italian hazelnuts, Italian lemons, chocolate from Belgium and Italy, etc.

There are 24 flavors to choose from, including a few sorbets and Greek yogurt gelato. Most of the flavors will stay the same but they will change the seasonal flavors. The yellow signs indicate the top-selling flavors. Ask for samples.

Pistachio lovers, they have two pistachio gelato flavors and the option to add pistachio cream and pistachios to coat your cup or cone. A small piccolo cup with up to 2 flavors is $7.45, a regular is $8.95, and a grande, $10.75. They also sell pints.

Yogurt Bianco yogurt gelato is made with Greek yogurt. It has the rich, thick, soft, smooth, sticky texture of gelato. It tasted fresh and slightly tangy (but not sour). It’s good! But not my favorite texture.

They also have a rewards program. Limited indoor seating.

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

* BACIO DI LATTE, 85 W Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91105

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.

2025 Froyo Wish List

Happy Froyo New Year! It’s also time for my new froyo wish list. First, let’s see which of my 2024 froyo wishes came true.

Recap of 2024 Froyo Wishes

Wish #1: Smaller portion sizes at counter-serve shops. I haven’t noticed any change. Some places only offer one size that’s far too large.

Wish #2: Lower sugar options: I haven’t noticed any change.

Wish #3: I wanted to try Australian froyo but there still isn’t any in the US, as far as I know.

My 2024 froyo wishes didn’t come true and neither did my 2023 froyo wishes (i.e., Yoga-urt at Erewhon, Llaollao in California, Souvla in Los Angeles). Perhaps my wishes need to be more realistic? 

There were some good things about this year: I attended several froyo shop grand openings, there were more new collectible froyo spoons than in 2023, and I visited three cities to try their froyo shops (Seattle, Salt Lake City, and Vancouver). I found some excellent supermarket froyo from TruJoy Yogurt (coming to California this year), Souvla started offering Greek froyo pints, and Souvla and Bi-Rite Creamery collaborated to create Walnut Baklava Cherry Swirl yogurt ice cream.

2025 New Froyo Wishes

Wish #1: Yo-Chi is thriving in Australia and has no international presence. I’d love to see them in Los Angeles. Australian coffee is having a moment (e.g., Bluestone Lane, Tectonic Coffee), so it’s time for some Australian froyo.

Wish #2: Whole Foods adds froyo to coffee bars. Many years ago, some Whole Foods locations did offer froyo, as did other grocery stores (e.g., Ralph’s, Safeway). Erewhon added plant-based soft serve to their coffee bars. It’s time for more froyo at upscale grocery stores. I want quality froyo. I don’t want to see froyo at a gas station mini mart.

Wish #3: Flat rate pricing for smaller cups. Froyo cups are too big and prices keep going up. I’d like a small cup of froyo and I don’t care if it’s self-serve or not. 

Wish #4: Pinkberry pops in the US. Why have these pops never been available in the US? They’ve been offered in many countries.

Wish #5: Matcha froyo affogatos. I don’t usually order affogatos because I’m not sure that the espresso would complement the froyo, but I would order a matcha froyo affogato. It would also be easy to make at home.

Keeping my fingers crossed for an amazing new year of froyo. May you also have lots of wonderful 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.