Big Bang Yogurt serves healthy and unique yogurt desserts in Melbourne, Australia, including fried yogurt, thick cut yogurt, and yogurt bark. They are the first to sell frozen yogurt slices in Melbourne. We spotted their products on Instagram and the uniqueness intrigued us. Jonathan Evans, one of the owners of Big Bang Yogurt, was gracious enough to agree to an interview.
Tell us about yourself and your business
JE: Big Bang Yogurt is not your typical ‘froyo’ business, in the sense that we don’t specialize in machine-pumped yogurt. Our business sells three very unique (frozen) yogurt products.
First is our ‘Fried Yogurt’ range. This yogurt is made using high quality yogurt that we mix with various nuts and sweet beans (for added texture) and then put it on an ice cream machine (i.e., freezing pan) for an instant freeze. Customers then add fruits or toppings as they desire. The yogurt sets and we chop it up into chunks (slices) that can be eaten right away.
Our second Signature product is what is known as ‘Cubes’ or ‘Thick Cut Yogurt’. These frozen yogurt cubes are 3×3 cm in thickness and are yogurt mixed with various fruits and nuts. The end result is a delicious and creamy ice-cream alternative that doesn’t destroy the calorie counter.
Our final signature product is a one-of-a-kind yogurt bark. We pretty much blended our cube range and our fried yogurt slices into one product, so that our customers can enjoy both products at the same time. So far, it’s been a hit!
How long have you owned the shop?
JE: We took over the business four months ago, during the Melbourne, Australia Omicron lockdown. Call us crazy, we’ll accept it! Before then the business had been operating since 2019, just before Covid took hold.
What is your background and why did you decide to open your shop?
JE: As for our experiences, I personally come from an IT and Finance background. I’ve spent the last four months in an industry I know nothing about. So, it’s been a lot of late nights and learning for sure! As for my business partner, she is a veteran in the industry; the journey has been a little easier for her, although this is the first brick and mortar that she’s owned. I think together we make a great team and cover many angles that individually we couldn’t alone.
Do you consider other froyo shops to be your main competition or some other business type?
JE: When it comes to navigating the space of competition, I don’t personally believe in competition. I don’t see Bubble Tea shops or even other Yogurt or Ice Cream shops as competition. What I try to do is find out what they’re doing right and I try to either mimic it or improve it. And then it’s simply a bunch of testing to see what works with our model and what doesn’t. If it doesn’t work, we scrap it. If it does work, we then tweak it until we can find the best way to work a specific business strategy or marketing angle.
At the end of the day, I consider our business model a leader in its space. While we work to try and keep up with what others would deem as our competitors, we’re making changes so fast that we’re putting competitors in the rear-view mirror. Unlike their business model, ours can change and adapt in a heartbeat. We have no bureaucrats or controlling board to dictate our business model. If we’re going to fail, we’re going to do it fast, so we can remove what doesn’t work and keep only what does. We’re prepared to fail and we’re prepared to try it all.
Provide a brief history of the business, include when it was founded, expansions, closures, and ownership changes. How did you come up with your unique concept?
JE: We bought the business off of a young and lovely Chinese couple. They moved back to their hometown in China wanting to start a family there. We’re still in touch with them, and appreciate everything they’ve done for us. The original owners had two locations, one in the city of Melbourne, Australia and another out in the suburbs. They closed the suburb location down just before we took over.
As for how we came up with the concept… well, the original ‘Yogurt Slice’ and ‘Thick Cut Cube’ idea was not something we came up with. It was a big deal over in Asia and we simply bought the idea. As for the ‘Bark’ range we sell, this is unique and one-of-a-kind. It came about because the yogurt cubes can take a long time to prepare, sometimes up to an hour. So, I thought about how we could give them the texture and creaminess of the cube range that they love, but have it ready in 15 minutes. To achieve this, I simply blended the idea behind the cubes with the fried yogurt slices and what was birthed was bark. I truly believe this method/product is our original idea as I’ve never seen it anywhere. It’s a bit more expensive on the menu than the slices we sell, but it’s also cheaper than the cubes. It’s a win-win for everyone, I believe.
To what would you attribute the success of your business?
JE: We’re four months in, dealing with various strains of the coronavirus and coming into winter with an iced product. The success of our business will be determined on how flexible we are, how fast we can adapt to changing environments, and how innovative we can be when it comes to consumer behavior and economic environments. We’re not the cheapest dessert shop in town, but people come to us knowing that they’re getting quality ingredients and quality products.
We’re still trying to find the middle ground and figure out the level we need to be at to be profitable when using organic and high-quality ingredients and having a dozen other shops next door that sell 30% below you. It’s not a great concern, but it’s something we ponder over and we’re still trying to work out the finer details of how to deal with the challenge.
What are the main lessons you’ve learned about the frozen yogurt business?
JE: Hah! Great question and I feel impossible to answer. I think the lessons we’re learning aren’t just related to FROYO but are solely business based right now. We have a few Froyo locations popping up over town and people are actively seeking them out. What I’d say is important is to be different and be Instagrammable. A pretty photo used to be enough, now though, especially with TikTok and Reels, it’s about how good it tastes. Customers and influencers can voice over anything. Taste and experience are now far more important.
What are your main challenges?
JE: Foot traffic. Location is incredibly important. Our next location will definitely have 5x more foot traffic. Maybe even be closer to our competitors. It’s not uncommon for fast food giants like McDonald’s and Hungry Jacks (Burger King) to be near or next to each other. Don’t fear your competitors, do whatever it takes to increase that foot traffic and presence. It’s something we’re learning the hard way.
To learn more about Big Bang Yogurt, you can follow them on Instagram at @bigbangyogurt and visit their website. You can place online orders on their website.
