f Nathan Carey of Santa Barbara, Calif., hadn’t broken his arm while lifting weights a few years ago, he might never have come up with the idea to produce a frozen yogurt treat loaded with protein and flavor. Each ProYo Frozen Yogurt serving contains 20 grams of milk protein, live active probiotic cultures, added fiber and only 160 calories, packaged in a convenient 4-ounce squeeze tube.Not that he was any stranger to frozen yogurt. At the time, Carey was the owner of Twin Cups, a Santa Barbara-based drive-up spot that offered custom-blended frozen yogurt, quality coffee, shakes and smoothies.
“While I was in physical therapy, I noticed people were spending a lot of money on high-protein shakes and protein bars, but I could tell by their facial expressions that they were not enjoying them,” Carey says. “Many of these products were laced with sugar and stabilizers, and weren’t that healthy. So I started experimenting at Twin Cups by making a high-protein yogurt treat that tastes great and could be eaten on the go at any time of day. And since I had broken my dominant arm and lost movement of my fingers, I couldn’t cut meat. It was important for me to develop something high in protein and easy to eat with one hand.”
This “Anytime Frozen Treat” is crafted from a combination of creamy probiotic yogurt, protein and fruit and comes in Vanilla Bean, Banana Vanilla, Blueberry Pomegranate and Dutch Chocolate flavors.
ProYo will be made available to natural food stores along the West Coast by this summer. The super-premium treat will be sold individually or in 3-packs.
