A self-serve frozen yogurt company launches in Birmingham.
By Carla Jean Whitley
Executive leadership: David Kahn, president, and Aaron Greenberg, vice president.
What is it? Yogurt Mountain is a selfserve frozen yogurt shop. Customers select from 16 all-natural frozen yogurts, then visit a topping bar complete with cereals, granolas, nuts, sweets, fruits and more. At the register, the yogurt creations are weighed and paid for by the ounce.
History: Kahn brings more than 20 years of franchise experience to Yogurt Mountain. For years he operated Blockbuster Video locations across Alabama and Mississippi, then got into Subway sandwich shops. But his interest was piqued by the frozen yogurt craze on the West Coast. “I was really intrigued by the self-serve concept,” he says.
Chains like Pinkberry and Red Mango are concentrating their efforts in that region, so Kahn decided to launch his own business. Yogurt Mountain opened its Cahaba Village shop in September, and within weeks the company doubled in size with a Tuscaloosa location.
What’s unique: Though similar concepts exist in other parts of the country and the world, Yogurt Mountain brings something new to the region. Kahn and Greenberg also emphasize the natural flavors of the yogurt, its health benefits and the shop’s welcoming atmosphere. They hope it will be a gathering place in the same way that coffee shops are. “If Starbucks was in the yogurt business, what would it be like? That’s what we modeled this after,” Kahn says.
The location: Kahn says the shop’s Cahaba Village location will help make the gathering place mentality a reality. “I think this is ground zero. You’re right next to Mountain Brook, Vestavia and Homewood,” Kahn says. The shop is positioned near restaurants, shopping and within a short drive of a movie theater.
Staff size: 15
What’s ahead: With the launch of Yogurt Mountain’s first two locations behind him, Kahn wants to examine markets in Nashville, Tenn., Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., and Florida. As Yogurt Mountain continues to grow, there will be both company-owned and franchised stores.
“I really enjoy building businesses,” Kahn says. “One of the things I want to do with this is to give people opportunities through our franchise program.”
