Environmentally Conscious Yogurt Shop Opens

For a while, residents and yogurt enthusiasts have been waiting for EarthFruits Yogurt to open up at its location in the Woods Tavern Plaza, located at 438 U.S. 206 in Hillsborough. Those who have been waiting patiently got their wish on Thursday, when the frozen yogurt shop officially opened for business.

The franchise location, owned by Jim Ciampa and managed by Katy Hentenaar, presents an interesting way for its customers to give back to the environment while enjoying a healthy, all-natural snack.

“Our main goal is to give back to the rainforest,” Hentenaar said. “We give a percentage (of each purchase) back to the rainforest.”

Thus, the aptly named “Tree of Life” in the center of the shop, which contains toppings that range from chocolate chips and candies to fresh fruit to breakfast cereals like Cap’n Crunch. After getting their preferred flavor from the store’s self-serve frozen yogurt machines, customers can add whatever toppings they wish to their snack and pay by the ounce.

Also important to note is the fact that EarthFruits Yogurt offers gluten-free, dairy-free and non-fat options for anyone trying to stick to a particular diet.

“What makes ours different is that we have no added preservatives, there is no added powder; it’s all freshly made in a mix,” Hentenaar said. “Our peanut butter is made with real peanuts, our chocolate is made with real cacao and our sorbet is non-dairy.”

So far, the reviews have been positive from members of the public.

“Everyone’s really liked it,” Hentenaar said. “All things considered, we’ve had a good amount of people come in. We’ve been really happy with sales.”

The opening of the Hillsborough location is only the beginning for EarthFruits Yogurt in the area. In addition to a planned grand opening event “in a few weeks” that will include the choir and participation from local fire departments, Hentenaar said that Ciampa plans to open more franchise locations elsewhere in the area. Possible future locations include Princeton, Westfield and Basking Ridge, where the duo resides.

Of course, nothing is stopping anyone who would like to see an EarthFruits Yogurt location in their own home town from stepping forward.

“People have been coming in telling us where we should open, so that has been helpful,” Hentenaar said.