Happy 10th birthday Pinkberry! Yes, the “taste that launched a 1,000 parking tickets” is a decade old. We met with Ron Graves, CEO of Pinkberry and Laura Jakobsen, SVP of Marketing and Design, to talk about the past and the future of this iconic frozen yogurt brand.
The Past
Everyone who knows about the rise of frozen yogurt knows that Pinkberry is the original; they invented frozen yogurt category (the 2nd wave) by offering distinctive new frozen yogurt flavors, great design and superior customer service. This uncompromising commitment to quality (i.e., great taste, great design and great service) guided the brand’s growth and inspired countless other frozen yogurt shops.
Ron Graves joined Pinkberry in 2007, bringing his experience as a VC investor in early stage consumer companies at Maveron. The company made several bold moves after Ron joined. It was early to expand abroad, finding a leading franchisee in Kuwait back when the only Pinkberry locations were in LA and NYC. At the time it was a risky decision, but it turned out to be the right one. The Kuwait location proved to be the highest volume location and the franchisee continues to grow throughout the Middle East including 2014 new store openings in Kuwait, Qatar, Lebanon, KSA and Turkey. Pinkberry also embraces nontraditional locations, including airports and kiosks.
Today Pinkberry is a global brand with over 250 locations including kiosks and full size stores in 21 countries.
The Future
Pinkberry kicked off the year with “New Flavors to Love.” The three new flavors include Raspberry White Chocolate (a fruity treat made with natural raspberry puree and white chocolate), Sea Salt Chocolate (a smooth, creamy chocolate flavor with a touch of Maldon sea salt) and the return of fan favorite, Passionfruit.
Expect to see big things from Pinkberry this year and beyond. The brand will continue to evolve and promises “bold innovations within the snacking space.” The new innovations will build on the brand’s reputation for quality and freshness.
Pinkberry will be celebrating its 10th birthday all year. Stay tuned to see what it has in store.
The Birthday Celebration
Pinkberry celebrates its 10th birthday on Jan. 30th and you’re invited. Come between 7 PM -10 PM to get your small yogurt with toppings for 10 cents.
Whisper “birthday style” and your froyo will be topped with edible glitter and a white chocolate candle (it looks like a candle but you can’t light it).
