A sweet debut on Notting Hill Gate

Australian frozen yoghurt brand Yo-Chi opened its first UK venue on Notting Hill Gate, London, last Thursday, drawing thousands of customers on opening day, as reported by the Daily Express. The store offers nine signature frozen yoghurt flavours, including vanilla, salted butterscotch, coconut and açaí, alongside more than 30 toppings such as 'choc chunk' cookie cake and mini mochis. Customers pay by weight at 70 per 100g, according to the outlet.

The launch attracted dedicated fans, with first visitors Martha and Olive queueing for more than five and a half hours, arriving at 6:30am before the midday opening. "We're huge fans of Yo-Chi so when we heard it was opening here in London we knew we had to be here first and it's been absolutely worth it," they told the Daily Express. Another customer, Milly, travelled from Manchester for the launch, saying she had tried Yo-Chi in Noosa the previous year and had been "raving about it ever since".

Oliver Allis, co-owner and chief brand officer at Yo-Chi, was quoted by the Daily Express saying: "We are so happy to bring a new positive, inclusive..." (the quote was cut off in the report).

International expansion and reception

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the first person in line for the London opening had been there since 6:30pm the previous evening. The second person in line was an Australian girl, no older than 12, who had crafted a homemade cardboard box as a mock-up of a compostable Yo-Chi cup. Social media videos show queues wrapping around the block at the Notting Hill outlet, with TikTok creators styling themselves as "queue correspondents" tracking how quickly the lines moved.

Allis described the opening reception as "pinch-yourself kind of stuff," according to the Sydney Morning Herald. "It was bonkers, absolutely bonkers," he said. "Not even just Aussies, there were a lot of English and locals in the line. There were surprisingly more Brits than I expected."

The London store spans more than 2,000 square feet across two floors and has capacity for 120 customers, both outlets reported. Opening hours are Sunday to Wednesday 10am–10pm, and Thursday to Saturday 10am–11pm, according to the Daily Express.

From Melbourne to the world

Yo-Chi was founded in Melbourne and purchased by the family of Boost founder Janine Allis from George Calombaris in 2020, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Since then, the chain has grown from four stores to more than 75 across Australia. Singapore was Yo-Chi's first international market, and two US stores are set to open this year.

Allis told the Sydney Morning Herald that on the London store's second day of trading, he spent hours chopping strawberries after four workers called in sick. He reportedly quipped: "I said to someone the other day, but I think we're like – this is a big statement – the new Vegemite."

Next stop: Texas?

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Yo-Chi's next opening may be in Dallas, Texas. The brand's UK partners are Stral Zarkovic, co-founder of sustainable fashion label Pangaia, and Mitchel Galvin-Farnol, who founded minimal streetwear brand NICCE. Its Texas partners are Doug Shaw, chief executive of restaurant group Donald Reagan, and Dana and Scott Palmer, two lawyers. Allis declined to reveal the shareholding split across its joint venture partnerships, according to the report.

The outlet also detailed a marketing effort in Dallas: Yo-Chi hired a young social media creator to run a stealth account called "Dallas Deserves Better," and Faith Ward, a 22-year-old dancer from Perth and a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, has been engaged by the business to spread the word.