Two Windham Women Prepare to Tackle FroYo Venture

After six years acting as support staff for PixAds Media, LLC, a company developed by their husbands from a napkin, two Windham women are ready to take the next step and start something for themselves.

Laura Calamari and Desty Masucci are about to open up a Sweet Kiwi Frozen Yogurt shop on Route 3A in Hudson.

The opening comes on the heels of a Sweet Kiwi shop that saw a January opening in Manchester.

The Hudson location will occupy half of a 4,000-square-foot unit in a relatively new plaza that also includes a Gold's Gym and Valentino's Restaurant and Lounge. 

For Calamari, the Sweet Kiwi idea is something entirely new to both her and her business partner. Both have children in high school and college who keep them aware of the current yogurt shop craze.

"When you have teenagers and you see how often they are driving a considerable distance to go get frozen yogurt, it just made sense to try to open something and try to accommodate something," said Calamari.

Calamari stressed that they have a license for the Hudson location. She and Masucci signed into a licensing agreement with the company.

"They have access to the machines and they own the product so we purchase from them," said Calamari. "We had the option of picking our own name."

To avoid people mistaking their Sweet Kiwi shop for others in the New Hampshire and Massachusetts area, the two women are sticking to their roots with the name "Sweet Indulgence Windham" for the business Facebook page.

As for not opening a shop in Windham, Calamari blamed the overall traffic that the town drives.

"Windham is a small town (and) most people go to other locations for grocery shopping, things like that," she said. With success in Hudson, she and Masucci could look to Londonderry for a second location.

Choosing the Sweet Kiwi brand wasn't easy, as Calamari said they looked at several different yogurt companies and franchises.

By a stroke of luck, her husband happened to be thumbing through the newspaper when he caught wind of the grand opening for the Methuen, Mass. Sweet Kiwi.

What she liked about Sweet Kiwi, which is owned by 54 Flavors Supply out of Tewksbury, Mass., was the ability to personalize her shop. She and Masucci didn't like the idea of working for someone else.

"We are totally on our own as far as picking the location, even down to designing the interior the way we want," said Calamari. "(The Sweet Kiwi shops) aren't all set up the same. You put in how you feel is going to best fit your business.

For Calamari and Masucci, that means seven machines, which in turn offers 14 different flavors. A total of 24 fresh or cold toppings and an equal amount of dry toppings will also be available.

"We should be able to make everybody happy," said Calamari.

Standard flavors such as tart, vanilla, strawberry, chocolate and cheesecake will be available. Customers can also expect fruity flavors such as mango, and of course, kiwi.

Smoothies and coffee will also be for sale.

The two business owners will hope for a little Irish luck as they roll out their grand opening on March 16, just before St. Patrick's Day.

There will be beads for the kids and 50 percent off specials. On normal days, kids who show their student ID's will also get 10 percent discounts.

For more information on the Hudson-based yogurt shop, located at 142 Lowell Road, visit here.