October 5, 2018

Frozen yogurt kiosk to debut at 3rd Street Market

Thanks to a partnership between Purdue Dining & Catering and an enterprising group of students, frozen yogurt will be available at 3rd Street Market beginning Wednesday (Oct. 10).

The self-serve frozen yogurt kiosk will offer 100 percent all-natural and dairy-free frozen yogurt products. Customers will be able to choose from two flavors and three toppings. The two cup sizes will come in small and large and cost a base fee of $4 or $6 respectively.

The kiosk is the product of FroYo XPress, a startup created by Purdue seniors Marek Davis (School of Industrial Engineering), Aarti Panda (Department of Computer Science) and Henry Birkemeier (School of Industrial Engineering). The installation of the machine and partnership with Dining & Catering is the result of more than three years of work that included market research, design and manufacturing.

FroYo XPress has received funding support from the Burton D. Morgan Business Model Competition, the Elevate Purdue Foundry Fund’s Black Award investment and the Baylor New Venture Competition. The group receives entrepreneurial mentorship and support from the Purdue Foundry.

“We’re always looking for ways to work with Purdue students to stay on top of food trends,” says Greg Minner, director of Dining & Catering. “We think our students will be excited about the healthy dessert option provided by the FroYo XPress kiosk.”

Dining & Catering actively seeks to partner with students to galvanize the dining experience at Purdue, Minner says. The organization works with numerous academic departments to create co-curricular opportunities for students, provides leadership opportunities through student employment and solicits student input through its advisory committee. 

Davis, Panda and Birkemeier hope to parlay a successful FroYo XPress launch at 3rd Street Market into a larger business venture.

“Our goal is to provide greater accessibility and lower-cost foods and beverages to consumers of all kinds,” Davis says.

FroYo XPress partners directly with retailers, who maintain day-to-day operations of the kiosks. The startup provides the kiosks, consumable products, regional support and the healthy and inclusive FroYo Xpress brand.


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