It’s been called “Gen-Z’s nightclub”. The phenomenon that is Yo-Chi owes its success to far more than the frozen yoghurt its customers adorn with an astonishing range of toppings and shovel into their mouths. After sharing their treats on their favourite social media channel. Since being acquired by the family that founded Boost Juice, what began as one small outlet in the Melbourne suburb of Balaclava has become a multi-billion-dollar enterprise.
The first Yo-Chi store was opened by the Melbourne businessman Manny Stul in 2012, one of many frozen yoghurt businesses established in the early 2010s. Stul added three more locations, in Hawthorn, Carlton and Malvern, before selling the business to restaurateur George Colombaris in 2018. When the Colombaris empire went into receivership in 2020, two members of Boost Juice’s Allis family acquired Yo-Chi and began to expand the business, cashing in on the burgeoning craze for frozen yoghurt with do-it-yourself toppings.
The new owners set about establishing Yo-Chi stores as destinations for socialising, rather than just retail outlets. In 2026, the Sydney Morning Herald called it “a regular date spot, after-school snack pick-up, or meet-up spot after dinner as an alternative to a bar”. The stores invite customers to hang out, with bright graphics, neon, natural materials, a modern, industrial vibe and zoned social seating.
The business model is simple. Customers pick a cup, pump their own soft-serve frozen yogurt or açai, choose their toppings from a large buffet-style bar, then take it to the register and pay by weight. Staffing costs are minimal and there’s no need for complex price calculations. The simple product preparation and low staffing requirements allow Yo-Chi stores to achieve earnings margins of over 40 per cent.
Yo-Chi is a social media sensation. As of 2026, Australian outlets are offering nine base flavours to choose from, plus açai (which is a mush of frozen açai berries) . With toppings including fresh fruit, nuts, candy, cookies and cookie chunks, fruit popping pearls, and a wide range of sauces and spreads, customers compete to create the most TikTok-able combinations. Despite the health claims made for the frozen yoghurt itself (98 per cent fat-free, great source of calcium, beneficial probiotic cultures), most of the toppings take it straight into indulgence territory.
By 2026, Yo-Chi had more than 75 stores in Australia. The first international store, in Singapore, opened in 2025, while the opening of the London store, in August 2026, had people queuing around the block from 6.30 am. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that there were plans to open two stores in the USA later in 2026, the first being in Dallas, Texas. It’s an Aussie export story that has gained plenty of attention. Whether the momentum can be sustained remains to be seen.