Froyo mania spreading over town

Anyone that has ever felt guilty over consuming too many calories while indulging in dessert can henceforth breathe easy for not one; but three reasons: Berrylicious; Tutti Frutti and Snog. The frozen yogurt or froyo fad is relatively new in Pakistan, but the coming of not one, but three different low-calorie dessert options has diet-conscious citizens sharpening their sweet teeth. Retail outlets of all three franchises are being thronged by clientele and business, it seems, is booming. "Initially when we were launching Berrylicious here in Karachi, we had mainly considered women as the target audience" admitted franchise operator Sameen Akhund. "But the froyo appeal extends much beyond, among men and children too," she told BR Research. Touting the product Akhund highlights that it has relatively low sugar content and zero cholesterol. "So its a very healthy and tasty alternative to ice cream," she concludes. The franchise will expand to other parts of Karachi as well as other cities soon. California-based chain Tutti Frutti is already well spread across the country. After setting up its first retail outlet at Bhera on the Islamabad-Lahore Motorway, the chain has quickly expanded to Islamabad, Faisalabad, Lahore and more recently, Karachi. Its franchise operator in Karachi Mustafa Husain told BR Research: "We have finalised agreements to set up more outlets at The Mall, Dolmen Mall, Clifton and Tariq Road. We will also expand to the northern parts of Karachi soon". Omer Husain, the co-owner of Tutti Frutti said: "We are offering more than forty flavours, out of which fifteen are currently available. Rest would also be available in near future. Its hundred percent self serve. Whereas Tutti Frutti is quite affordable as we have introduced a new concept in pricing. The price that a customer pays is equal to the number of grams which they wish to have, and we are charging 1Re per gram. So its quite in the hands of the people." The heat is on as each brand tries to lay a good start for itself. Though both these brands are serving the same idea, but the strategies used by them to deliver are quite different. While Berrylicious offers a low fat, no cholesterol deal, Tutti Frutti froyo claims to contain no fat, except two flavours; chocolate (0.5 percent fat per gram) and soon-to-be-introduced, peanut butter (1 percent fat per gram). At Berrylicious, foodies can avail two serving sizes; priced at Rs.140 and Rs.240, with toppings priced between Rs.20 and Rs.40. Tutti Frutti, which is a self-service outlet prices its products by weight, charging Re.1 per gram. So, who is delivering the better product? Judging by the steady stream of buyers at outlets of both franchises, it seems the people will enjoy a few more rounds of each before picking a winner.