As I write this, in January 2025, frozen yoghurt is having a moment. Well, more than a moment really. For Gen Z, date night could well be a rendezvous at Yo-Chi, a self-serve chain with dozens of stores in urban centres across mainland Australia. The cult status of these stores suggests that frozen yoghurt (or yogurt, as they insist on spelling it – GenZ can’t handle that pesky h) is a new phenomenon. But it’s far from the case.

It all began way back in the 1970s. In 1973, an American company, Taylor Freezer, applied for a trade mark showing a cartoon boy holding an ice cream cone. The company made the equipment used to produce soft-serve ice cream and frozen yoghurt. In 1976, an Australian company acquired the technology, the logo and the Frosty Boy name under license. It began manufacturing the powder base of soft-serve products and distributing the machinery to make them. Frosty Boy sold its products through private distribution companies targeting retail outlets and fast food chains.

In 1976, The Sydney Morning Herald foreshadowed the opening of a frozen yoghurt outlet in the city where, it said, “Given the recent yoghurt explosion in Australia, the all-new, all-American “soft” frozen yoghurt is sure to go down well”. In 1977, the frozen treat (possibly made with Frosty Boy products) was among the offerings at the dairy bar in Myer’s department store food hall.

Through the 1980s and ’90s, and into the 2000s, the supposedly healthier alternative to ice cream lurked around in specialty shops, convenience stores and even some restaurants. Then, in the early 2010s, the category exploded with new stores and chains opening regularly.  Among the start-ups, in 2012, was Yo-Chi, initially just one store in the Melbourne suburb of Balaclava. There were plenty of others: in 2013, a notification to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission by a new company, Mix & Go, listed 112 frozen yoghurt suppliers and 32 brands operating outlets.

In 2013, the consumer watchdog CHOICE investigated several companies, WowCow, Mooberry, Yogurtland, Yogurberry and Zwirl, and found some were making spurious health claims and not always giving fair measure.  “Frozen yoghurt may sound healthy, but consumers need to know that it is a dessert treat, particularly in large amounts and smothered with sugary toppings,” they said.

After surging in 2013 and 2014, the frozen yoghurt scene seemed to have quietened down. Several of the chains went broke. It wasn’t until 2020 that a resurgence began. That year, Yo-Chi opened four new stores offering self-serve frozen yoghurt with a wide choice of toppings. And something extra:

Yo-Chi was born from an idea to bring together delicious frozen yogurt with an infinite flow of good energy, in a space where people of all ages feel equally welcome. The intention was to inspire creativity, encouraging customers to handcraft their own bespoke piece of unimaginable deliciousness.

At Yo-Chi you choose your flavour then load it up with a range of toppings that range from the healthy (fresh fruit, nuts) to the indulgent (chocolate chip cookies, mini M&Ms). Then you take it to the counter and pay by weight. The outlets are venues in themselves with neon, mirror balls, seating and a very cool vibe.

So what happened to good old Frosty Boy? It’s still going, based in Yatala, Queensland, and has export markets around the globe. In 1992, the original owners sold the company to Bonlac, who unloaded it to a private buyer in 1999. For some years it remained Australian-owned through three family trusts and a private equity group, Advent Partners, but in 2023 was sold to Kent Corporation in Iowa USA. The company doesn’t have consumer-facing outlets, but sells its products to seven of the top ten global quick-serve restaurants.  Never beaten, indeed. But where’s the infinite flow of positive energy?