Sweet Frog

Last updated

Sweet Frog
Company type Private
Industry Chain restaurant, franchise
Founded Richmond, Virginia (2009;16 years ago (2009))
Founder Derek Cha and Annah Kim
Number of locations
350+ (2016)
Area served
United States
Dominican Republic
Key people
Kevin Spencer Garrett [1]
Products Frozen yogurt
Parent MTY Food Group
Website www.sweetfrog.com

Sweet Frog is a chain of frozen yogurt retail restaurants. Derek Cha and Annah Kim co-founded the first sweetFrog shop in Richmond, Virginia in 2009. [2] [3] [4] [5] The "FROG" part of the name, according to Cha, is an acronym for "Fully Rely on God". [6] [7]

Contents

Sweet Frog in Prince Frederick, Maryland Sweet Frog frozen yogurt restaurant in Prince Frederick, Maryland.jpg
Sweet Frog in Prince Frederick, Maryland

The sweetFrog restaurant's interiors are painted pink and green, and the typical store consists of seven or eight frozen yogurt machines, toppings bars, and merchandise, much of which is centered on sweetFrog's mascots "Scoop" and "Cookie." [8] Based in Scottsdale, Arizona at the time of its acquisition by MTY Food Group, the chain operated 332 locations in the United States and Dominican Republic, most of which are franchised. [9]

History

Derek Cha and Annah Kim started Sweet Frog with one restaurant in 2009. By 2013, Sweet Frog had grown to over 215 stores in 25 states in the U.S., with more stores located internationally in the Dominican Republic, the United Kingdom, and Egypt. [10] [11] [12] [13]

Scoop & Cookie promoting Sweet Frog's first Chicago area restaurant in Frankfort, IL. Sweet Frog's mascots "Scoop" and "Cookie" at Chicago Theater.jpg
Scoop & Cookie promoting Sweet Frog's first Chicago area restaurant in Frankfort, IL.

On April 17, 2012, Boxwood Capital Partners, LLC announced that it had made a growth capital investment in Sweet Frog. [14] [15] Subsequent to the investment, James Patrick Galleher, the Managing Director at Boxwood Capital Partners became the Chief Executive Officer of Sweet Frog. [16] [17]

On February 2, 2015, it was announced that Boxwood Capital Partners, LLC had acquired SweetFrog Enterprises, LLC. [18] [19] [20] In the Fall of 2018, Sweet Frog was acquired by a wholly owned subsidiary of Canada-based MTY Food Group Inc. of Montreal, Quebec. [21]

In 2019, Sweet Frog co-founder Derek Cha was found guilty of domestic battery against his wife and co-founder, Annah Kim, and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. [22]

Sponsorships

On April 18, 2016, it was announced by BK Racing that sweetFrog would be sponsoring David Ragan and the No. 23 Toyota Camry for the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway. [23] sweetFrog returned to sponsor Ragan's No. 23 for the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond in August. [24] sweetFrog later appeared in the video game NASCAR Heat Evolution . [25]

See also

References

  1. Victor, Nancy (May 3, 2018). "MTY Food Group names Eric Lefebvre as new CEO". Verdict Food Service.
  2. The Derosia Team. "Must Eat Frozen Yogurt!". The Derosia Team. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
  3. "Sweet Frog founder's Waterford Park could become Chesterfield's next attraction". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  4. "Christian Owned Businesses". A Voice of Reason. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
  5. "Sweet Frog; Fro-Yo with a side of God. Wait, what? - Forward Progressives". Forward Progressives. August 1, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  6. Harris, Al (May 9, 2011). "Q&A: Yogurt chain leapfrogs competition". Richmond BizSense. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
  7. McNair, David. "Sweet taste of success for Sweet Frog". The Hook. Better Publications LLC. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
  8. Llovio, Louis (February 20, 2012). "rss feed sweetFrog's founder looks to grow chain beyond frozen yogurt". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
  9. Moldowan, Leah (August 6, 2024). "SweetFrog is Hopping with Dairy-Free Froyo Flavors & Toppings". Go dairy free. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  10. "sweetFrog US Store Locations". sweetFrog Premium Frozen Yogurt.
  11. Owens, Andrew (May 17, 2012). "Sweet Frog Makes a Splash in the Frozen Yogurt Pond". Brand Iron. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014.
  12. "sweetFrog Premium Frozen Yogurt Franchise Information". Entrepreneur. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  13. "sweetFrog, a Family-Friendly Frozen Yogurt Franchise with Christian Roots". www.franchisechatter.com. October 9, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  14. "Sweet Frog Receives Growth Investment". Venture Capital News. Massinvestor, Inc. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
  15. "Sweet Frog Enterprises, LLC: Private Company Information". Business Week. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014.
  16. "J. Patrick Galleher". LinkedIn.
  17. "sweetFrog". Food and Drink International. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  18. "Boxwood Capital Partners Acquires sweetFrog". GoDanRiver.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015.
  19. Geiger, Jacob. "Chesterfield-based Sweet Frog sold to private equity firm". Greater Richmond Partnership.
  20. "Boxwood Capital Partners acquires yogurt store sweetFrog". San Diego Union Tribune. February 2, 2015.
  21. "MTY to acquire sweetFrog Premium Frozen Yogurt for $35m". September 4, 2018.
  22. Carey, Julie (September 4, 2019). "Founder of Sweet Frog Yogurt Chain Convicted of Domestic Battery". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  23. "sweetFrog Teams Up with BK Racing, David Ragan". PRWeb. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  24. Koelle, Christian (August 31, 2016). "The Motorsports News Source: SweetFrog Returns to sponsor BK Racing, David Ragan at Richmond International Raceway". The Motorsports News Source. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  25. "A New DLC Is Set To Be Released For NASCAR Heat Evolution This Coming Week". iDigitalTimes.com. November 20, 2016. Archived from the original on December 15, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.