New Frozen Yogurt Spot Opens its Doors in Iowa City

There's a new frozen yogurt joint in town, open and ready for business.

Orange Leaf Iowa City opened its doors for the first time late last week, and it is looking to scoop out its own niche in what's looking to be a competitive frozen yogurt market in downtown Iowa City. 

Andrea Uzarowski, 36, the store manager at Orange Leaf Iowa City at 17 S. Dubuque Street, said she welcomes the challenge.

"We will have to see, but I think there's nothing wrong with healthy competition," Uzarowski said. "I think competition will bring out of the best out of all the stores.

"If you provide an outstanding product and outstanding service, there's no reason that you should not be able to succeed."

Orange Leaf joins locally owned , which already boasts a strong following, and Aspen Leaf, which has yet to open but will also be on Dubuque Street. All three stores will be within a short walk of each other, a triangular wedge in the downtown that I declare shall hereby be called the froyo district.

Uzarowski said she knows her new location will face a tough challenge establishing a following. Not only do customers already like Yotopia, Orange Leaf is also a national chain, something which Iowa Citians are historically not very keen to embrace in the downtown.

But, as a long time Iowa City resident, she contests that although Orange Leaf Iowa City does belong to a larger company, it will be able to establish its own identity and serve the products that Iowa Citians will be interested in.

"I know that Iowa City is really big on locally produced and organic ingredients and that's something that we feel very passionate about," Uzarowski said.

This includes locally made baked goods, granola, and waffle cones made in house, she said. She also emphasized the quality of base materials being used with the yogurt. The yogurt mix is combined with milk purchased from Prairie Farms in Iowa City, and then fresh ingredients such as real coffee or caramel are added to complete the final product.

"I want people to come here because the flavors taste like they should, a raspberry flavor will taste like raspberry, and coffee will taste like coffee, not something bland that doesn't taste right," she said.

As for flavors, Orange Leaf will offer 16 at any one time, maintaining the favorites while rotating from a wide selection of different flavors to keep things fresh. Orange Leaf will also offer seasonal flavors such as pumpkin, snickerdoodle and eggnog, Uzarowski said. Also available are fat and gluten free yogurts.

Uzarowski, who moved to Iowa City from Hungary in 1996 to get an undergraduate degree and masters in Business at the University of Iowa, said she wants Orange Leaf Iowa City to feel welcoming for students to hang out in as long as they please. Wireless internet is free, and with a decent sized space, she says she may also host live music acts at the store from time to time.

She also said that Orange Leaf will offer discounts for local organizations that want to serve frozen yogurt at events. Interested groups can call her at 319-333-1302.

This is all a part of her longterm goal to give back and become a part of the Iowa City community.

"I wouldn't want to work here if I didn't think if this couldn't be something special for Iowa City," she said.

Orange Leaf Iowa City is open daily from 11:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. You can find out more about the store at the Orange Leaf Iowa City Facebook page.