Press Release: Summer time just got a little cooler thanks to Beach Berry Frozen Yogurt, the first business slated to begin serving Community Maritime Park visitors in downtown Pensacola.
“We are delighted to welcome Beach Berry Frozen Yogurt as our very first year-round business at the Community Maritime Park,†said Collier Merrill, Chairman of the Maritime Park Trustees. “This marks the first non-baseball business that is moving to the stadium and the park, and that is a great first step for the continued progress of the park.”
The 27 acre Pensacola Bay waterfront park includes a multi-use stadium, promenades, and open green space to enjoy a leisurely day and evening. A waterfront amphitheater is under construction, and Beach Berry Frozen Yogurt will fill one of the two retail spaces in the stadium, leased by the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.
Proprietors Mike and Cookie Ngo said they are thrilled to be a part of the community and excitement the park has created in the downtown area. The Ngo’s already have a thriving Beach Berry store just up the coast in Navarre, FL, and were looking for a suitable location to expand their business. The waterfront stadium fit the bill perfectly.
Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward, whose City Hall office overlooks the stadium, said he was excited about the business moving to the Park. “One of the most important things we can do as a community is to make our City attractive to businesses that want to relocate or expand here in Pensacola,” said Hayward. “People like the Ngo’s who are risk-takers, business owners, and who aren’t afraid of hard work are exactly the type of people we want coming here. We are seeing a lot of entrepreneurial investment in our community and it’s exciting to see our City start to take off.”
“We thought that the location was perfect for our store,” said Ms. Ngo, who is also a pharmacist at Publix in Navarre. “With all the great things happening in downtown Pensacola, and a fantastic location like the Park and great neighbors like the Blue Wahoos, it just made a lot of sense for us to be a part of this new and exciting growth. What better way to enjoy the waterfront than to pick up some frozen yogurt, walk around the park, have a picnic, or catch a ball game?” she said.
Equally important for the Ngo’s was the opportunity to partner with the Blue Wahoos, which was simple and straightforward.
“The entire leasing process with the Wahoo’s organization was quick and uncomplicated and everyone was enthusiastic and made us feel welcomed,†said Ngo. “It was great to be a part of so much positive progress.”
Andrew Rothfeder, who is a real estate consultant for Quint and Rishy Studer and the Blue Wahoos, said the Ngo’s business was a perfect fit for the stadium and the park. “Beach Berry is another exciting step in our collective effort to create a ‘sense of place’ at the Maritime Park 365 days a year, not just on game days,” said Rothfeder. “This is exactly the type of business that will bring people to the park, get families downtown more often, and also be a good community partner,” he said.
The Ngo’s said they looked forward to being a part of the Pensacola community, and that same community involvement has been a hallmark of their Navarre business.
“We’ve always worked hard to be a part of the community — we partner with churches, military, school and sports groups, and we really try to make it a family friendly environment,” said Mike Ngo. “In addition to our frozen yogurt and toppings, we also make it entertaining, with kid-friendly shows on our televisions, and maybe some fun video games to entertain the children and give parents just a little bit of a break so they can enjoy their yogurt too.”
While the frozen-yogurt trend has been on the upswing, the Ngo’s said their offerings were a little different from the typical yogurt shop. Beach Berry Yogurt varieties and flavors of their frozen yogurt are made fresh, right at the store, as opposed to being ordered pre-mixed or pre-frozen. In addition, the Ngo’s said their Pensacola location was expected to offer over 175 different toppings to choose from, with an almost unlimited number of combinations.
“We pride ourselves on our fresh yogurt and daily cut fresh fruits and toppings, and you can really taste the difference†said Mike.
Some popular, refreshing favorites include raspberry pomegranate, blueberry, mango, peach cream, cheese cake and coffee. Fresh fruit includes kiwi, strawberry, mango, pineapple, and blueberries.
And of course there are always the triple-decker options which allow you to be really creative including such delectable creations as Chocolate Yogurt topped with Raspberry sauce and Oreoâ„¢, and creamy Vanilla topped with Ghirardelliâ„¢ Hot Fudge and Marshmallows. Less decadent but equally yummy selections include Mango topped with Animal Crackers, and Fruit Medley topped with Granola.
While the Ngo’s won’t divulge all their secrets, they did let slip that one of their creative geniuses for their toppings is their youngest daughter, who comes up with new, and occasionally wacky, combinations for toppings while playing an ice-cream game on Mike’s smart phone.
“We’ll take any suggestion we can get,” said Cookie Ngo, “as long as it doesn’t include anchovies,” she laughed.
Beach Berry Yogurt will be located at Pensacola’s Waterfront Stadium, at the Community Maritime Park. The new location promises to be eye-catching and inviting, thanks to architectural design by local architect Brian Spencer. Hours of operation will be Monday – Thursday, 11:00am-9:00pm, Friday and Saturday from 11:00am-10:00pm, and Sunday from 11:00am-7:00pm with extended hours during sporting events and special activities throughout the season.
Beach Berry is expected to open sometime in June.
