Serving up yogurt with a twist

On a visit to the U.S., Michael Bossio was treating his children to frozen yogurt topped with fruit when he decided to bring one of that country’s hottest food concepts back with him to Edmonton.

Three years later, with five of his Twisted Yogurt shops now open across the Edmonton region, and growing, Bossio shrugs at a wave of competitors from big multinationals to locals following in his footsteps.

Bossio, a 36-year-old retired financial planner, was spending time in Palm Springs and noticed the abundance of frozen-yogurt shops, including one outlet he frequented every night with his family.

“I kind of fell in love with the whole concept,” Bossio said. “I didn’t understand how there wasn’t something like this up here yet.

“I liked the fact it was a product that was non-fat that tasted awesome so I started working on making a store up here.”

He bought a yogurt-making machine on ebay, set it up in his garage and “I was like a mad scientist working in the garage on different varieties.”

In 2009, Bossio opened his first Twisted Yogurt store in Sherwood Park.

Less than a year later, he opened a second shop. He now has stores in Spruce Grove, Southpark Centre, Terwillegar and St. Albert. He’s eyeing expansion in Red Deer, Calgary and the B.C. interior.

Bossio is undecided on franchising the concept, but one of the stores is co-owned with partners.

Bossio says frozen yogurt, which first became all the rage in the 1980s, is more than a passing fad this time around with consumers’ greater awareness of nutrition and a help-yourself concept that allows for portion control and appeals to families.

I kind of fell in love with the whole concept. MICHAEL BOSSIO