Angela was not ready to talk.
After all, she was sitting in Winnipeg’s first-of-its-kind yogurt drink shop — a Chinese import, from a brand that’s boomed during the pandemic.
“You like it?” asked Coco Ning, watching as her nearly three-year-old daughter, Angela, sipped strawberry mochi yogurt through a straw.
No response — Angela was busy.
The family joined a select few for a sneak peek of Hey! I Am Yogost, a new joint at 2677 Pembina Hwy., before its grand opening on Saturday.
Ning ordered rice yogurt Thursday. Shawn Zhang, whom Ning was with, sipped a peach mochi yogurt — a pink drink with marshmallows, whipped cream, yogurt and mochi, a type of rice dessert.
“It’s definitely something new for Winnipeg,” said Zane Jacinto, who sat at a table across the shop.
She had placed three drinks on her table — all fruity — and had her phone at the ready for photos. Those pictures would later hit social media.
People like Jacinto have led to Hey! I Am Yogost’s pandemic-era explosion, according to Teddy Lee, the brand’s marketing director.
The company set roots in Canada two years ago and has been expanding at a fast pace, Lee said.
It began in China in 2017. Since then, it’s reached Malaysia, New Zealand and the United States, among other countries.
Vancouver hosted the first Canadian location in 2020. While other restaurants closed, the franchise opened 16 stores (the 16th being in Winnipeg). It’s slated to surpass 20 Canadian sites next year, according to Lee.
Word of mouth, shout-outs from influencers on social media and online advertising have contributed to the company’s growth, Lee said.
The current location will receive about 1,000 kilograms of yogurt from Vancouver every two weeks, he said.
Hey! I Am Yogost (pronounced yo-ghost) uses sugar substitutes in its drinks, and the staff makes fresh mochi every two hours, Lee added.
Purple rice and organic milk are regular drink ingredients.
“We do care about the calories,” Lee said. “The consumer wants to get something healthier.”
Health was on Clio Huang’s mind as she sat in the new shop. She joined a mix of the franchisee’s friends and Winnipeggers with large social-media followings at the store’s pre-opening event.
“I’m not a bubble tea person — too much sugar inside,” Huang, 30, said. “I can’t have (it) every day, but yogurt, I can have it every day.”
Gabrielle Piché
Reporter
Gabby is a big fan of people, writing and learning. She graduated from Red River College’s Creative Communications program in the spring of 2020.
