Froyo creativity is our theme for March 2021. Before looking forward, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of the froyo innovations of the past.
Froyo for Dogs
When human dog owners started loving froyo, some wanted to share their love with their dogs. While it is safe to share some flavors of human froyo with dogs, some people wanted a healthy froyo that was made for dogs. Yoghund launched the first organic frozen yogurt for dogs in 2007. Other dog froyo makers include The Bear & The Rat (with prebiotics and digestive enzymes), Frozzy’s (lactose free, no added sugar), FroPet (shelf-stable, powdered mix), Only Natural Pet (PetSmart exclusive), and Boss Dog (Greek style yogurt, non-GMO). Many froyo shops now offer pup cups.
Zero Waste Froyo Pearls
Back in 2014, Stonyfield collaborated with WikiFoods, a lab that invented edible packaging technology. They launched Frozen Yogurt Pearls at East Coast Whole Foods locations. The pearls contained Stonyfield’s frozen yogurt in a thin, edible plant-based membrane. While the idea was inspired by zero waste, retailers insisted on selling the Frozen Yogurt Pearls in packaging. Stonyfield Frozen Yogurt Pearls weren’t around for long, maybe a year?
Froyo-flavored Beer
Ingenious Brewing Co. is a Houston area brewpub known for its creative flavors. The beer is made in small batches. In 2017, Ingenious Brewing introduced FroYo, a New England hazy milkshake style IPA with milk sugar. Later, they added additional froyo flavored beers, including Franken FroYo, Vanilla Coconut FroYo, and Peach Cobbler Double FroYo.
Froyo Robots
We haven’t mentioned froyo robots in awhile, but back in 2014, we looked at several companies that were offering automated dispensing of froyo. Robofusion, which became Reis & Irvy’s of Generation NEXT Franchise Brands, built a business of franchising froyo robots. They served Dannon YoCream soft serve. The kiosks accepted cryptocurrency. Generation NEXT filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in December 2019.
Cup Dividers
Remember when the popularity of froyo led to a new problem? Some customers realized that they didn’t want their froyo flavors to touch and the paper froyo cup divider was born. Back in 2013, we spoke to the co-owner and chief innovation officer of Go Divide paper cup dividers. Wagner Bartosch created The Divider – a poly-coated, food safe paperboard insert that fits snugly into 16 ounce frozen yogurt cups to create two compartments. With Go Divide’s insert, your cup could have four compartments. FroYoViders allowed you to create 2 to 3 compartments in your froyo cup. Later dividers were edible – made out of waffle cone batter or cookies.
