Froyo

by Mayte Uyenco

Frozen yogurt or froyo as many have been calling it, has been quite a fashionable treat nowadays. Many stalls and kiosks have opened in malls at the beginning of last year but there is good news for Katipunan residents because craving for froyo does not mean having to go all the way to a mall. With two froyo joints that have opened on both sides of Katipunan avenue, anyone who craves for froyo has two places to choose from.

Frutti Froyo

Located at the second floor of the Petron Service Station beside La Vista, Frutti Froyo is a place where students can drop by after school or a nice place to take the kids out for dessert or merienda.

This is different from all the others because customers can choose from eight flavors of yogurt a d choose from over 20 different toppings.

Has it been mentioned that the customer can put as much as he pleases? Patterned after the trend in the U.S., the system is self-service where the price is determined at the end based on its weight. Each ounce is P18.

Frutti Froyo uses all ingredients from the U.S. and a healthy low-fat yogurt. “We are still in the process of making it sugar-free,” according to the store’s owner Shirley Dacanay.

Mrs. Dacanay has been based in San Francisco for the past 20 years but has been coming to the Philippines every month to attend to her business. She has been more than pleased with the turnout because the customers are ¾ more than what she expected. Ever since its opening last December 4, “the sales have been steadily increasing” she adds.

Her vision for Frutti Froyo was patterned after the old Magnolia Ice Cream House from that was popular in the late ‘70s. Instead of people going all the way to the malls to eat frozen yogurt, they can just stay in Frutti Froyo and enjoy the goodness of yogurt and the company of their friends and family. “People are inclined to choose healthier options in their diet and in their lifestyles,” which is why froyo has clicked with many people, she said.

Most of the customers that have been frequently buying are students from the nearby colleges and also children accompanied by their parents. With the summer season coming up, Mrs. Dacanay fears that the customers might lessen but to her surprise, sales have increased at the beginning of this month.

Frutti Froyo is her own brand and this is the first branch that she has opened. Two more branches are expected to open in Tomas Morato which will be open by April and another one in Alabang.


Gurts at Pancake House
As a part of a marketing strategy, Pancake House has also gotten into the froyo craze with a product they can call their own. They came up with Gurts, a frozen yogurt with two kinds of toppings, classic and premium.

Pancake House decided to add froyo to their menu after getting good sales from their high end branches. Other branches with the said product are in Medical City and Magallanes.

They opened the Katipunan branch last Valentine’s Day hoping to attract customers from the different colleges as well as residents from the nearby subdivisions. According to the store manager Ingrid Francisco, the people who usually buy froyo are the yuppies and professionals.

The product is a blend of powder, pure milk, skim milk, and creamy yogurt from Italy. Yogurt is a healthier alternative to ice cream because it contains lactobacillus which aids in digestion. It is also less fattening than milk.

The price ranges are from P78 to P150 depending on the sizes regular, medium or large. Each classic topping is P20 while the premium toppings which are made up pastries and biscotti are P38 each.