CHINO HILLS, CA--(Marketwire - June 16, 2009) - Frozen yogurt (fro-yo) seems to be the darling of food service investment trends. Forecasts from major players in this restaurant sector are up. Red Mango, one major player, claims 1000 stores within the next five years.

In this most recent iteration of fro-yo, proprietors tout the live and active cultures in their yogurts, certified by the National Yogurt Association, as the key to their product differentiation. Cultures are commonly linked to helping foster better digestion and healthier immune systems. Wrap the product in a trendy retail package like, Pinkberry and Red Mango's flashy stores, and investment capital companies just can't stay away. Dan Titus, director of The Juice and Smoothie Association, said, "We've been watching this trend for the past few years and honestly, we did not think the concept had legs. The product is like wine. It began as a coastal event -- growth has paralleled the gourmet coffee and juice and smoothie bar business. We noticed that many fro-yo stores added smoothies early on. It makes sense given the inventory for smoothies already exists in the stores." Titus cautions the fro-yo as narrow for long-term growth. "We expect them to begin to change the concept as they expand into different demographic regions."

"We've been recommending fro-yo cups to our clients for the past 17 years. Conversely, juice and smoothie bars need fro-yo menu items in their stores. The inventory already exists. Smoothies are simply a blended fro-yo cup. If they don't, they are missing out on incremental revenues."

To that end, Juice Gallery Multimedia has introduced, as part of their Smoothiemann™ series, "Juice Bar Recipes Professional," which is a book targeted at juice bars and existing restaurants. "The goal is to introduce smoothies, fro-yo, and flavored teas to enhance customer offerings through existing inventories," Titus said.

Contact Information: Contact: Shelly Kelly Juice Gallery Multimedia (909) 597-0791 www.juicegallery.com