Yogurt, especially of the Greek variety, is everywhere! Not only is the foodstuff—a lot of which is made and sometimes spilled right here in New York—getting a push to be more prominent in schools, but now not one but two yogurt shops are set to open in Manhattan. And we aren't talking about another Pinkberry here.
First out of the gate is the Yogurt Culture Company at 125 Park Avenue and 41st Street. Basically Dannon's attempt to show that it gets this whole artisanal food scene, without plastering the company's name all over it, the store is very basic:
A cart with four kinds of plain yogurt is stationed front and center at the somewhat rustic-looking shop, which has white tile walls and exposed ceiling beams. The customer can select traditional or Greek-style yogurt, either whole or skim milk. The regular yogurt is made in the Dannon facility in White Plains, from milk supplied by Battenkill Valley Creamery in Salem, N.Y. The Greek-style comes from Pennsylvania. The yogurts are to be delivered to the store at least once a week, perhaps more often, depending on the demand.
Customers at the Yogurt Culture Company can also buy frozen yogurt, made in Portland, Oregon. Because, c'mon, the frozen stuff is hard to pass up.
But oh, you want to go into a store and buy more local-ish yogurt? Well, Chobani—which is definitely a New York bred company—has you covered. Next month it is opening a flagship store in SoHo at 150 Prince Street off West Broadway. That one will also include "a 'Mediterranean' yogurt bar, with fresh yogurt, whole milk and skim, to take away" when it opens in August. Perfect for snacking on as you walk over to the Apple store or something.
So! One more yogurt shop and we'll have a trend. At which point expect to see some "yogurt stores are the new coffee shops" stories popping up and to hear some "we went on a yogurt date" stories from friends.
