International Frozen Yogurt Day inspired us to take a look at some of the frozen yogurt chains that you’ll find outside the US. While Red Mango of South Korea is credited as the first to popularize tart, Asian style froyo, other countries have put their own spin on frozen yogurt. Chillbox capitalizes on cachet of authentic Greek yogurt. The Italians, known for their gelato, position their frozen yogurt as a related product (i.e., yogurt gelato). Mexico’s Nutrisa has the backing of Grupo Herdez, the largest producer of canned food in Mexico. We’ve put together mini profiles of international frozen yogurt chains to watch.
Greece
Froyo, which opened in Athens in 2010, claims to the first frozen yogurt store in Greece. The first location was a small shop with counter serve service. After Froyo, hundreds of frozen yogurt shops opened in Greece. The largest Greek frozen yogurt chain, Chillbox, started in Greece and expanded abroad. By early 2014, Chillbox had over 70 locations in 11 countries. It emphasizes the uniqueness and authenticity of Greek (made in Greece) frozen yogurt and a self-serve format. Chillbox also features unique packaging, with cups placed in square paper boxes.
Italy
Europe’s largest froyo chain, Yogorino celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. The first shop opened in Verona in 1993. There are now over 100 Yogorino locations in Italy. In addition, Yogorino can now be found in more than “20 countries in 5 continents.” Yogorino is very much Italian. The shops feature Italian design, the yogurt is made with Italian production technology, and the food research was conducted in Italy. The shops carry Italian gelato, frozen yogurt, coffee, drinks, etc. The US shops we visited even carried cups and spoons from Italy. Yogorino was known for offering only one flavor, but they opened their first self-serve shop in Italy and that location has several flavors.
Mexico
Nutrisa started out as a frozen yogurt store and while it is still known for its frozen yogurt, today Nutrisa is Mexico’s leading health food store, offering smoothies, frozen yogurt, health and beauty product lines, vitamins, snacks, etc. In 2013, Grupo Herdez, the largest producer of canned foods in Mexico, acquired a majority stake in Grupo Nutrisa. Nutrisa currently has 480 locations, including locations inside Walmart and Mexico City Airport.
Spain
Llaollao is the dominant player in its home country of Spain, with over 100 locations in Spain. They opened their first location in Spain in 2009. Currently, they have over 200 stores in 21 countries in the Americas, Africa, Europe and Asia. Last year, llaollao opened its first location in the US, in Houston, Texas. Like Yogorino, llaollao can be characterized as a one flavor, counter-serve concept, with an emphasis on sauces. One point of differentiation is llaollao’s use of its own skimmed milk, called llaomilk.
