Sugar Creek Foods, a privately-held frozen dessert mix manufacturer that provides frozen yogurt mix for many independently owned and operated end-users throughout the United States, has reached record frozen yogurt sales.  It has had shattering 70 percent growth in the first quarter of 2012 versus 2011, just after a record 73 percent growth the previous year.

Sugar Creek, a pioneer in using bulky flavorings such as fruit purees, cookies, flavor droplets, and nuts in its Honey Hill Farms’ frozen soft-serve yogurt products, is incredibly excited about all of the growth that their frozen yogurt shop partners have experienced.

“We do not want to be the biggest frozen yogurt manufacturer, but want to be the best at what we do,” says Scott Van Horn, president and partner. “Our products are very unique for the soft-serve and self-serve frozen yogurt industry. We are constantly testing and designing products for our customers that will separate their shops from all others.”

“We are not prospecting every frozen yogurt shop up and down the street,” says Bud Gunter, vice president of sales and partner.

“We invite new and existing yogurt shops for a Yogologist Day at our plant. This is not a crowded classroom environment, but a one-on-one seminar that explores our products and the industry, all at no cost and no obligation to the guest. Each visitor learns about yogurt shop operation and start-up information including trends, equipment, product handling, marketing (social POS media and in-store merchandising), sampling, and much more.”

Van Horn and Gunter both are grateful to all their shop partners and are thrilled about their growth in the marketplace.

“Shops using our product are unique players in their area because they have chosen a different path from the others … our shop partners do not want to offer just another me-too product, but serve a difference you can taste,” Van Horn says.

“We believe it’s our unique flavors that drive repeat business into our partners’ shops,” Gunter says.

Sugar Creek is testing many indulgent frozen soft-serve yogurt flavors, using the same type bulky flavoring system to round out its current seasonal flavoring offerings.