Beat the heat with some refreshingly cool frozen yoghurt

Dubai: With all forecasts pointing to one of the hottest summers in recent history, local ice-cream (or frozen desserts, which seem to be the preferred item these days) vendors have every reason to smile.

Among them is Oliviero Cassini, managing partner of Slick Yogo. His offerings come with a marked difference. In bright and funky cups, Slick Yogo serves frozen yoghurt snacks straight from an independent dairy plant in Italy with toppings to match the selection found in stores in the Mediterranean country.

Cassini's mission is to serve up a little of that Italian staple to locals here seeking a new taste experience.

"It's a product that has been in existence in Italy for decades, but was missing in Dubai," said Cassini.

"We've been eating frozen yoghurt since we were children in Rome, so are familiar with the taste. The product however has been worked on a lot, trying to use as many local ingredients as possible to provide a dessert people in Dubai can relate and get used to."

With a background in market research and fin-ancial feasibility studies, Cassini was well-placed to know the steps needed to start out on his business venture. A look into F&B trends revealed the global frozen yoghurt marketplace was booming in the US, but had yet to catch on in the UAE.

One factor that could play in favour of Slick Yogo's prospects is the health and fitness trip that more Dubai residents are getting into.

"We live in a country with one of the highest levels of obesity and diseases related to weight issues, and have noticed that the authorities and media have finally started denouncing this phenomenon," said Cassini. "People are finally becoming more aware of what they eat and are looking at fat-free and reduced calories alternatives, in particular when choosing a dessert."

Health factor

Catering to the health conscious, Slick Yogo's servings contain less than a quarter of the calories compared with a standard ice-cream scoop and less than two per cent fat.

The longest process in the setting up process was finding the ideal location. He focused on the many shopping centres because of their high footfall and visibility.

"Finding a good location with a high profile and a targeted market was one of our main priorities," he said.

"Big malls are the location you want to be in if you're selling fast-moving consumer goods."

Slick Yogo opened for business in January with its first kiosk on the second floor of Dubai Mall overlooking the ice rink. The location was picked because of its proximity to high footfall areas such as the Reel cinema halls, Sega World, Kidzania and the food court.

"We looked at the econ-omics of it and saw it to be financially viable in terms of demand and global trends," said Cassini.

There were initially no frozen yoghurt outlets when Slick Yogo's business plan was first formulated, according to Cassini.

"Now they've come up everywhere, this was spurred by the fact it was doing so well in the US."

But he insists he is not perturbed by the increased competitive pressures. "Most of the other frozen yoghurt companies are located in shops and do not have the visibility that we have as a kiosk," Cassini said.

"Furthermore, being a boutique company we believe we are able to focus more attention on our product, choice and quality of toppings and service. We offer fresh products and yoghurt from an independent factory in Italy.

"We are also able to focus more attention on customer service, which has proved to be our best marketing skill."

Moreover, Cassini assumes another advantage by stating that most of the others in the line are franchises of US brands.

He is now looking to open up at least two more kiosks, in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and will later consider franchising and expanding in the GCC.

"Dubai is a platform for the rest of the GCC, so by opening our first outlet here we hope to become more visible to potential franchisees interested in investing in our brand," said Cassini.

The kiosk approach seems to have worked. According to Cassini, he has had five enquiries from Kuwait in recent days, in part due to the success of other franchised frozen yoghurt outlets both within the UAE and now in the GCC.

Now, let's bring on the summer!

Kiosk decor: Funky outlook

Along with its signature yogurt servings, Slick Yogo offers its customers garnishes and toppings which include homemade fruit sauces, nuts, cereals and fruit. Other yogurt based refreshments can also be sampled such as its signature Yogo Ice, a combination of homemade ‘slush' and frozen yogurt, smoothies and fresh fruit salads.

Oliviero Cassini aims to market Slick Yogo to the ‘young, trendy and fresh.' The kiosk in Dubai Mall is bright and airy, reflecting the company's young and funky nature. "We worked with a designer to come up with a kiosk that was both original and functional," said Cassini. "With such a small space we needed to be efficient in our design, but "t the same time catch the eye."