FroYo Trend Still Blooming In Philadelphia, Western Suburbs

Frozen yogurt is nothing revolutionary. 

But the concept of the FroYo bar has become all the more commonplace, providing yearlong spots for the sweet dairy treat. Dozens have popped up over the region, filled with bright, cheery colors, cups and spoons and equally vibrant topping. The self-serve, "weigh and pay" stores allow customers to pick  their flavor and then go to town on an array of syrups, candies, fruits and crunch coats to top off their creations.

The Dollar Signs
Frozen yogurt is a lucrative business, and stores accrued $1.6 billion in revenue in 2011, according to a report from IBISWorld.

Over the past 18 months, 18 frozen yogurt venue have opened in Northwest Philadelphia and the western suburbs, with more slated to open soon.

Kiwi Yogurt, initially named Sprinkles, appears to have been the first in the area with a West Chester store debuting in  late 2009. Since then, Kiwi has grown into the biggest regional chain in our area with locations open in Haverford, West Chester, Exton and Wayne, and a Malvern spot coming soon.

There are some independent stores and a number of chains, but most don’t have too many locations in this area. Whirled Peace has locations in Manayunk and Paoli.

Red Mango has one location in Wayne and another in Philadelphia, but the chain that started in 2007, according to its website, now has more 200 locations nationwide. It also has some locations in India, according to The Economic Times.

Royal Cafe of Wayne replaced Yogo Sano in May of this year. Though the venue does not offer the self-serve, pay by the ounce option, its organic soft-serve is available in a variety of flavors with toppings.

The Health Factor

How long you crank the self-serve FroYo handle determines your caloric, sugar and fat intake. The attractive "fat free" label on many of the yogurt options does not automatically translate to healthy.

Whether a yogurt company chooses to qualify for the National Yogurt Association's (NYA) Live & Active Cultures seal can signal just how healthy their yogurt is, and many specify whether they obtained the seal on their websites. The seal guarantees that the product comprises at least 100 million cultures per gram during manufacture, and that the frozen yogurt product contains at least 10 million cultures per gram during manufacture. The seal essentially provides a gauge that ensures certain health attributes in the yogurt.

Nonetheless, there are certain steps that consumers can take to make the FroYo experience the most beneficial to the body.

1. Just because the cup is big, doesn't mean that you should top it off. Half a cup, the equivalent of a baseball, is an adequate portion.
2. Fresh fruit and raw nuts, such as almonds or walnuts, win over sugary candies and syrups.
3. Look for the live and active culture seal, ensuring the intake of probiotics.
4. The appropriate amount of sugar should not exceed seven grams.
5. Choose Greek, which contains less sugar, more protein and a more long-lasting effect  than ordinary yogurt.
   

Current Locations

Use the interactive map above to find directions and opening dates of the following frozen yogurt spots near you.

• Kiwi Frozen Yogurt 22 South High Street, West Chester, October 2009
• Whirled Peace 111 E. Lancaster Ave, Paoli, May 2010
• Whirled Peace 4321 Main St., Philadelphia, April 2011
• Yapple Yogurt 50 E. Wynnewood Road, Wynnewood, May 2011
• Kiwi Frozen Yogurt 392 W. Lancaster Avenue, Havertown, PA July 2011
• So Fun! Yogurt 315 East Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, December 2011
• Swirlfrutti 2510 West Chester Pike, Broomall, February 2012
• Mango's Frozen Yogurt 311 E. Baltimore Avenue, Media, May 2012
• Red Mango 150 E. Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, May 2012
• Red Mango, 1425 Locust St., Unit #2, Philadelphia, July 2012
  
• YoCreations Yogurt 1219 E. Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, July 2012
• Yogo Factory 4752 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square, August 2012
• Kiwi Frozen Yogurt 251 E. Swedesford Road, Wayne, August 2012
• Twisted Mango 2 E. Lancaster Avenue, Paoli, September 2012
• Kiwi Frozen Yogurt 243 N. Pottstown Pike, Exton, October 2012
• Chill on the Hill 5 East Highland Avenue Chestnut Hill, PA, November 2012
• Fruitti Yummi 10 Coulter Avenue, Ardmore, March 2013
• Yum Yum Yogurt 178 Bridge Street, Phoenixville March 2013
• Yogurtland 1158 Baltimore Pike, Springfield, April 2013
• Yosl 137 Montgomery Avenue, Bala Cynwyd, May 2013
• Pinkberry 763 W. Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, May 2013
• Royal Cafe of Wayne, 1 W. Avenue, Wayne, May 2013 
• Froyo La La 18 W. Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, June 2013
• Menchie's Frozen Yogurt 1991 Sproul Road, Broomall, June 2013
• YogurTissimo 14 State Street, Media, June 2013

Coming Soon

• Kiwi Yogurt, Route 202 and 209, Malvern
• Yogo Factory, 601 Baltimore Pike, Springfield