Vanilla, chocolate, original tart, and dairy-free sorbet;
Additional flavors vary.
Any of them would assuredly be the best part of your day
Once garnished with a cherry.
When the summer sun’s hot, and it’s making you frown,
And sweat from your brow you’re a-mopping,
Just head to the best frozen yogurt bar in town
For cool manna buried in toppings.
Mark Miller is not from Minnesota. But here is the thing about falling in love with a Minnesotan woman: Once you’ve done it, your chances of living in Minnesota skyrocket.
Mark founded a video replication business shortly after moving to Eden Prairie, and switched over to software upon sensing a waning demand for DVDs. But when Mark learned that Freeziac – the frozen yogurt parlor just down the street from his kids’ high school, where he and his family had spent many a halcyon summer evening – had gone up for sale, Mark knew he was no longer a software man. A man who has resolved to sell frozen yogurt cannot be deterred by anything.
“My wife Kirsten and I bought Freeziac in August, 2019,” said Mark. “We couldn’t believe how lucky we were to own the ultimate local shop – the only Freeziac in the world, where every ounce of froyo comes courtesy of Minnesotan cows. We knew right off the bat that keeping Freeziac local, fresh and organic to the greatest degree possible was the key to success. Locals became accustomed to our quality since the shop opened in 2008, and it always wins over out-of-towners in the first spoonful.
“We also saw a huge opportunity for growth that didn’t come at the risk of sacrificing our authenticity: wholesaling to concession stands at sports stadiums, pools, and even craft breweries like Eden Prairie’s very own Fat Pants. Our inaugural summer as owners proved that to be an excellent idea! The following summer, for reasons I probably don’t have to elaborate on, did not prove conducive to our new wholesaling operation, but I’m happy to say it’s back at full speed today.”
No amount of global turmoil can eliminate demand for nonpareil locally sourced live culture frozen yogurt. If anything it increases it, which is why Freeziac’s brick and mortar were enough to keep the Millers afloat on their own.
“Kirsten and I are incredibly grateful to this community, and do all we can to support it,” continued Mark. “Part of that includes offering a clean, wholesome neighborhood hangout to teenagers. Our close proximity to Eden Prairie High School has made us a modern-day equivalent of the ‘50s malt shops where teens once gathered en masse.
“We’re also proud to offer our Freeziac Fishbowl Fundraiser for the benefit of church groups, kids’ sports teams, and other community organizations. They tell us which day they’d like us to place the fishbowl by the cash register. We ask every guest who comes in if they’d like to lend their support at no added cost to them. If they would, we put their receipt in the bowl, and then donate 25 percent of all sales to the organization at the end of the day.”
Go to Freeziac for the philanthropy; stay for the toppings. The Millers put out over 45 of them, including an impressive selection of fresh fruits. A froyo adorned with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries is the truest and purest taste of summer. If you’re feeling a touch more adventurous, try Freeziac’s “popping pearls” – little capsules that burst with the juices of strawberry, mango, pomegranate, passionfruit and rose. And if you had a light breakfast that day, see how high you can stack cashews, peanuts, chocolate covered almonds, graham cracker crumbs, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, cheesecake bites, cookie dough bites, Reese’s Pieces, M&M’s, peanut M&M’s, and crushed Heath bar, Butterfinger, Oreo, Snickers and Reese’s Cups … with hot fudge and caramel, of course.
Freeziac is located at 16532 W 78th Street, Eden Prairie. You may learn more about the best frozen yogurt bar in town at freeziac.com.