Self-serve frozen yogurt is in. Why? Because it can be a sweet treat or a source of probiotics; it can be fruit-filled and low in calories or loaded with cheesecake and chocolate bits. Frozen yogurt can be as filling or as expensive you want it to be, and business owners know it.
Peachwave has served frozen yogurt near campus since September 2011. Yogurt Extreme has served since February 2011, and the Campus Sub Shop‘s Yogurt Central has served frozen yogurt near campus since 1988. All three venues offer customers a different taste — of ingredients, flavors and more — even though each shop is just a block or two from the others.@@http://www.allmenus.com/or/eugene-springfield/44308-campus-sub-shop/menu/@@
“I’ve been interested in the Peachwave franchise for a long time; I believe in it,” said new Peachwave owner Alex Han, who planned on opening his store in July. Unfortunately, construction set back the date of the grand opening a couple of months.
Frozen yogurt is different than ice cream because yogurt contains “good” bacteria necessary for healthy digestion, called probiotics. Different shops have different ways of implementing probiotics into their selection. Yogurt Extreme uses yogurt (which already contains probiotics) and freezes it, as does Yogurt Central. Peachwave, however, creates its own powder mix and then adds milk right before serving.
Fu Yue serves herself a cup of frozen yogurt at Eugene’s newest frozen yogurt establishment, Peachwave. (Michael Ciaglo/Oregon Daily Emerald)
“The mix itself is proprietary and can only be done at Peachwave. We had the yogurt designed specifically for us,” Peachwave spokesperson Christopher Lam said. Lam also noted that Peachwave employees use only dairy-fresh ingredients, which are produced daily.@@http://www.mylife.com/tdrlam@@
But, according to Jonathan Humphreys, co-owner of Yogurt Extreme, “Not all yogurt is created equal.”
Yogurt Extreme serves liquid frozen yogurt certified by the National Yogurt Association, meeting the minimum requirements of 10 million cultures per gram for frozen yogurt. There are 100 to 400 million cultures per gram in yogurt at Yogurt Extreme. @@http://www.kval.com/news/local/121606399.html@@@@OMG IT’S REAL http://www.aboutyogurt.com/@@
If you want to eat frozen yogurt containing the National Yogurt Association-required minimum cultures per gram, look for the “Live and Active Cultures” seal on the frozen yogurt dispenser you choose, from whichever shop you choose.
Yogurt Central and Yogurt Extreme offer similar yogurt flavors, such as cake batter, cheesecake, Hershey’s Kisses chocolate and key lime pie. Peachwave offers a few flavors that yogurt-tasters may not have tried before, like creme de menthe or plain tart. @@http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hershey_Company@@
“At least half or more of our yogurt is gluten-free,” said Cathie Garrett, co-owner of Yogurt Central. “And we will always have at least one sugar-free and one dairy-free option.”@@having trouble finding. may have found her@@
Yogurt Extreme, too, offers many gluten-free choices, as well as one dairy-free, sorbet-like frozen yogurt, and one sugar-free option. Humphreys said that recently he and his wife Karen have started to also get many of their yogurt toppings gluten-free certified.
Yogurt Extreme features an array toppings, many of which are gluten-free certified. (Michael Ciaglo/Oregon Daily Emerald)
Peachwave yogurt has one lactose-free option, which is the Dole pineapple flavor, but it is not dairy-free. Peachwave does, however, offer many low-fat, non-fat and sugar-free options.
The competition between yogurt businesses is fierce, especially considering there is a mere one-cent range in pricing and all three shops are within walking distance of each other. Despite the ever-growing popularity of opening a frozen yogurt business, the owners don’t seem too concerned about losing customers because each claims to have something unique to offer.
“If we’re able to educate customers about what they are buying, we won’t be very affected. We serve real yogurt, our cups are biodegradable and all of our ingredients are local,” Humphreys of Yogurt Extreme said.
Han, who opened Peachwave already knowing of two existing yogurt shops, isn’t worried either.
“I think the population of this district is big enough for us to all have successful businesses. There are still a lot of people who aren’t used to frozen yogurt and would like to try it,” he said. Han plans on supplementing his yogurt business with healthy smoothies, which he says is something that sets Peachwave apart.
Yogurt Central’s frozen yogurt topping choices are one of the things that have co-owner Cathie Garrett confident that customers will always come back. (Michael Ciaglo/Oregon Daily Emerald)
Yogurt Central owner Garrett has witnessed the cycles of yogurt’s popularity and believes that “new businesses always have customers who try things out, but a lot of the time, those who initially came to us will come back.” She believes that after 23 years of selling yogurt, her and her husband’s venue offers experience more than anything.
Each frozen yogurt shop accommodates different tastes. Whether its priority is being something new and fresh, health-conscious or stable and consistent, University students have nearby options which will continue to grow as frozen yogurt’s popularity grows.
