Sour Sally Bali, Source: Bali Live
Indonesia has the 16th largest economy in the world (in terms of nominal GDP), making it the largest in Southeast Asia. With a population of 281,603,800 (June 2024), it is the fourth most populous country in the world. The largest city, Jakarta, has a population of 10.70 million. The next largest city is Surabaya.
Indonesia is a large market for frozen yogurt. We take a look at the main players, past and present, in the Indonesia frozen yogurt market.
History of Yogurtland in Indonesia
November 9, 2019: Yogurtland opened its first store in Indonesia at Lippo Mall Puri in West Jakarta. The master franchisee, Yogurtland Indonesia Global Mandiri, planned to open more than 15 stores over the next three years. Market research indicated that Indonesians were seeking variety and were interested in healthy lifestyle trends. Yogurtland offered dairy, no-sugar-added, and gluten-free options, with over 250 flavors.
January 2024: The last Yogurtland store in Indonesia closed. The timing of Yogurtland’s entry into Indonesia coincided with the worst of the global pandemic, presenting insurmountable challenges, especially for a self-serve product based in shopping malls.
Key Milestones of Yogurtland Indonesia:
- November 9, 2019: First self-serve Yogurtland store opens in Lippo Mall Puri, West Jakarta.
- November 10, 2019: Second store opens at Central Park Mall, Jakarta.
- November 16, 2019: Third store opens at Mall Kota Kasablanka, LG floor.
- November 23, 2019: Grand opening of the Summarecon Mall Bekasi Downtown Walk Area branch.
- December 22, 2019: Fifth branch opens at Tunjungan Plaza 6, Surabaya, 2nd floor.
- January 18, 2020: Sixth store opens at Pakuwon Mall, Surabaya.
- June 2020: Stores reopen after being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- August 2020: First Yogurtland Café opens at Senayan Park Mall, featuring an expanded menu including juices, yogurt drinks (including purple rice yogurt which was trendy around this time), and egg waffles. Purple rice yogurt had a moment from 2020 – 2023, but most of the purple rice yogurt shops have now closed.
- April 2022: Launch of Yolato at the Central Park branch, a healthier gelato alternative made with yogurt.
- January 2024: Last Yogurtland store closes in Indonesia.
Sour Sally’s Success in Indonesia
In contrast, Sour Sally, Indonesia’s froyo pioneer, now has 114 locations and plans to expand to Dubai and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Sour Sally opened 24 new branches in 2023 and 18 so far this year. Known for its innovative, high-quality products, Sour Sally continues to lead the frozen yogurt market in Indonesia.
- 2008: Sour Sally opened its first store in Jakarta, introducing froyo to Indonesia.
- 2015: The brand was rejuvenated with the launch of Black Sakura, the world’s first black frozen yogurt made with naturally activated charcoal, and White Skim, made with high calcium skim milk. New toppings and a fresh look were also introduced, spreading the popularity of activated charcoal yogurt globally.
- 2023: Sour Sally began replacing White Skim with White Zero, a no-sugar-added frozen yogurt, introduced a new dessert house concept called Sour Sally Green, and launched new products like Greek yogushots. The focus remains on health and innovation.
Other Large Frozen Yogurt Brands in Indonesia
- J.CO: J.CO is an Indonesian donut chain with 200 locations in Indonesia. All locations seem to carry J.Cool, non-fat froyo.
- Llaollao: Llaollao, the Spanish froyo franchise that is the #1 brand in Europe and Asia, closed its locations in Indonesia in September 2024, except for the Batam location. On Instagram, Llaollao Indonesia announced, “Due to policy adjustments, we regret to inform you that the outlets’ operations have ceased EXCEPT BATAM.” Llaollao entered Indonesia in 2015, and their website still lists 14 locations in the country. At one point, there were 23 Llaollao branches in Indonesia. It seems like a few of the locations have reopened.
- Yogen Fruz: In 2019, Franchise Times reported that Yogen Fruz, the Canadian froyo franchise, had eight stores in Indonesia. We believe that all these stores have since closed.
- Yole: Yole, another Spanish froyo franchise, lists five locations in Indonesia. The first location opened in 2018. Yole is known for ZERO, a no-sugar-added frozen yogurt.
