Orange Leaf opens none too “spoon”
A fervor has been brewing in Jasper since September 5.
That is when Doctors Derrick and Kelly Young launched a Facebook page dedicated to their new Orange Leaf Yogurt franchise on the north side of Jasper. They became franchisees in July.
“It’s great seeing how everyone is excited about our opening,” Derrick said about the speed at which the new page gained popularity.
“It really is, I mean people see me in the grocery store and they are asking about the store and when it will open,” Kelly agreed. “It’s amazing how excited people are.”
Customers at the fun chain have 16 flavors to choose from and are allowed to sample each flavor before they make their decision. Once the decision is made, customers fill a bowl and then head over to the topping table to perfect their personal froyo (frozen yogurt) masterpiece. The concoction is weighed and customers then pay by the ounce.
“It’s fun because customers have an opportunity to make their treat exactly how they want it,” Kelly said. “They can fill the bowl with yogurt or they can fill the bowl with toppings. It’s up to them.”
It is easy to overindulge with all the great flavors that are changed out regularly. The menu will include seasonal flavors and, as the Youngs plan on doing, flavors local fans can vote on and choose through an app, My Orange Leaf.
The sixteen on the menu for their grand opening include dairy free orange and pineapple, cheesecake, Oreo Cookie Cake, peanut butter, cotton candy, and even pumpkin pie and coffee. All are gluten free except for the Oreo Cookie Cake, and no-sugar-added and dairy-free options will always be available for customers.
Some recommended mixes include a half peanut butter, half chocolate bowl topped with chopped-up peanut butter cups and Reece’s Pieces or a half vanilla, half strawberry topped with fresh chopped strawberries and blueberries. For separatists — those that don’t like to mix their flavors — the bowls now come with dividers to split between two and three flavors to allow them to create their own personal Neopolitan.
“I combined the orange and the vanilla and it was amazing how it took me back to when I was little,” Derrick said, “It tastes exactly like a Dreamsicle.”
Derrick’s mom, Monica Young, clued Kelly and Derrick in to the franchise when she recommended the couple check out the location in Evansville. “We started going down there and we thought ‘maybe this is what we need,'” Kelly said. “We saw the lines and we saw how happy everyone was, and the company is growing so popular.”
The Youngs, who have active dental and orthodontic practices at the Crooked Creek complex on St. Charles, say they had been searching for a business they could do as a family for about 10 years. The couple want to include their three children —Olivia, 7; Katelyn, 3;, and Dylan, 6 months — in their business and Orange Leaf seemed to fit. “When you walk in, you can’t help but smile. It’s bright; cheery; uplifting. The kids loved it. They just thought it was the coolest thing to get the cup, get the yogurt and make it however they want and then weight it,” Kelly said.
Besides creating a family business, it was important to Kelly and Derrick to bring something to Jasper that they knew everyone would love, but even they were skeptical about the Orange Leaf product before they tried it. “The first time I went I didn’t know if I was going to like it,” Derrick said. “It was amazing how true the flavors were; pineapple is fresh pineapple, the peanut butter is spot on, and all of their flavors are like that.”
The flavors are so good, the Youngs have a hard time picking their favorite. In fact, they haven’t even tried half of the 70 flavors available through Orange Leaf.
The new store is located at 3085 Newton Street in the building formerly occupied by Mama T’s and Wendy’s restaurants. The building they are leasing from BR Associates is nearly unrecognizable as it has been completely gutted and refurbished. The eight froyo dispensers are now embedded in a wall covered in orange tiles. Customers of the Evansville store will be pleasantly surprised to find how much roomier this location is than most. “We are one of four Orange Leaf stores that aren’t in a strip mall,” Derrick explained. “So we have a little bit more control over how it is laid out and we are about twice as big as most stores.”
The larger layout allows more people to comfortably gather at the shop. “We offer free WiFi, so it will be good for study groups to gather,” Kelly said.
Contractors were just beginning to place the iconic chairs in the large open space on Tuesday in preparation of the grand opening next Tuesday at 11 a.m.
When they open, the store’s hours will be Mondays through Thursdays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Saturdays noon to 10:30 p.m.; and Sundays from noon to 9 p.m.
The shop’s phone number is 481-9940. The business can also be found on Facebook here.
“We are just excited to provide something people in the community can enjoy,” Derrick said. “It is great to see peoples’ reactions.”
A ribbon cutting is planned for Friday, October 25, at 5 p.m.
