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Yogen Früz
Opens First San Francisco Location at the Embarcadero Center
International Frozen Yogurt Chain Shares Grand Opening
Profits with Charity
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Yogen Früz, a frozen yogurt
chain with 1,100 stores in over 20 countries, is launching a
bid for a major scoop of the American fro-yo market with the
opening of its first San Francisco store on May 30-31. Located
at 3 Embarcadero Center, the new San Fran store is one of 30
locations expected to open across the U.S. this year, introducing
Yogen Früz’s signature create-your-own yogurt/fruit
blends to American consumers.
Yogen Früz has partnered with the Greater Bay Area Chapter
of the Make-a-Wish Foundation for the grand opening of the San
Francisco store. The foundation grants wishes to children with
life-threatening medical conditions around the bay area. Yogen
Fruz will donate 10 percent of its grand opening profits to the
charity.
In addition, the store will offer customers a two-for-one deal
and a free t-shirt with a purchase of $10 or more.
Blend It, Top It & More
The menu is anchored by Yogen Früz’s “Blend
It” — a combination of low-fat, non-fat or no-sugar-added
frozen yogurt and any of 16 varieties of flash-frozen fresh fruit
mixed in the company’s proprietary machines while customers
watch — as well as a “Top It” option featuring
plain yogurt with a choice of 18 toppings from fruit to granola,
carob chips and Cap’n Crunch. Other menu selections
include dairy and non-dairy smoothies, fresh fruit cups, and
parfait-style breakfast yogurt layered with fresh berries.
The low-fat and non-fat yogurt as well as the dairy smoothies
are packed with added probiotic cultures that have been shown
to promote a healthy digestive system, improve mineral absorption,
fortify the immune system, manage lactose intolerance and even
help lower cholesterol. Yogen Früz has more than 17
million live probiotic cultures per gram compared to as
few as 69,000 for other brands, making a healthy snack alternative
even healthier.
“New frozen yogurt vendors are sprouting as fast as new
mobile phones, but none of them have Yogen Früz’s
combination of menu variety, probiotic benefits, critical mass
and market experience,” said Aaron Serruya, who started
the company with his brother Michael in 1986. “We’re
entering the U.S. market with distinct advantages that we believe
will allow us to quickly be a dominate player in this category”.
Sweet Success
Yogen Früz opened its first store in Toronto in 1986 when
the Serruya brothers were 19 and 20. Aaron had seen frozen
yogurt stands in Florida and enlisted Michael in a plan to import
the idea to Canada. The siblings approached several U.S.
chains for the Canadian franchise rights, but they were turned
away because of their age. Undaunted, they pooled their
own funds, added money borrowed from their father, invented the
Yogen Früz name, and went to work developing their own version
of the fro-yo phenomenon.
The first location in a Toronto mall caught on so quickly that
they were able to start franchising. The first franchise
unit opened a year later in London, Ontario. By 1989, the
brothers had 100 stores in Canada. In November 1991, they
expanded to Indonesia with their first master franchisee. By
the mid 1990s, they were selling master franchise territorial
rights in Europe and Latin America.
The U.S. has always been on the Serruyas’ road map, but
at first American tastebuds weren’t ready for what Yogen
Früz had to offer. The Yogen Früz product has
the distinctive tart undertones of natural yogurt. Twenty
years ago, the frozen yogurt that took the U.S. by storm was
flavored to mimic ice cream. Today, tastes have changed.
“Over the last four years, natural yogurts like Dannon’s
Activia have been the fastest-growing food category in U.S. grocery
stores. This has familiarized American consumers with tarter
yogurts, and that’s what today’s yogurt stores are
delivering,” said Aaron Serruya. “The timing
is right to build a U.S. presence.”
In addition to San Francisco, Yogen Fruz will also be opening
a new location in Puerto Rico this weekend as well as Orland
Square, IL in June.
About Yogen Früz
Yogen Früz is a world leader in the frozen dessert category,
with 1,100 locations operating in over 20 countries. Yogen Früz
pioneered the frozen yogurt category in Canada when it opened its
first store in 1986. It remains a category leader with its
broad menu, unique blending system, added
probiotic cultures, distinctive store design and more than two decades of global
operation. For more information, visit www.yogenfruz.com.
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