Franchise in the spotlight: Yogberries

Truly guilt-free desserts are few and far between. In light of this, it’s hardly surprising frozen yoghurt has firmly captured the imagination of British consumers. The tart yet tasty treat is rapidly becoming a firm fixture in the UK and it’s an excellent opportunity for new brands to make their mark on Britain’s high streets. Yogberries, one of the earliest trailblazers of this frozen phenomenon, has already built up a very loyal customer base in the north-west and now the froyo makers have got their hearts set on being the nation’s favourite healthy snack.

For Sarah Bradley, the co-founder and managing director of Yogberries, and her co-founder Matthew Agass,”a background in food preparation”and hospitality management formed”a great foundation. However, experience isn’t everything; without”a passion for quality, nutritious food, Yogberries might never have come to fruition. “We both had a keen interest in healthy eating and premium organic food,” she explains. “That’s originally where our interest stemmed from.”

Frozen yoghurt has had a presence on the palate of our Antipodean cousins for some time and it was there that the Yogberries seed was first planted. After graduation, Bradley and Agass spent”a year in Australia, travelling for a period and then settling and working in Melbourne. “I got a job as a business development manager at a fairly”new restaurant so I had quite a keen insight into actually developing a business in its early stages,” she says.””I got a firm understanding of what it actually takes to promote a business and try to drive more trade into a restaurant.” At the end of their time abroad, the couple returned to the UK prepared to put the extra knowledge that they’d acquired to work.

But reacclimatising to life in the”UK involved more than just trading suntans for goosebumps. In 2010,”the economic climate was far from clement and positions in the events”and hospitality sectors were few”and far between. Fortunately, the”duo already had something else in mind. “We already knew that we wanted to set up our own business,” Bradley explains. “We’d discovered the frozen yoghurt product in Australia and knew that it would be the next big thing to come to the UK.”

Deciding to act as pioneers for the fat-free dessert, Bradley and Agass immediately began to establish their brand. During their time in Australia, their interest in nutrition meant they had spent a lot of time researching various frozen yoghurt brands and,”on their return to the UK, they also took a look at high-profile examples such as Pinkberry and Red Mango. Their knowledge of the product, the market and their aims for the business very naturally informed each element of the Yogberries brand. “It had to be easily recognised; obviously berries are associated worldwide with yoghurt,” says Bradley. “Everything behind it had a lot of thought and consideration, going back to the actual natural food and wellbeing side of the company that we wanted to convey to the customers.”