Ayelada began with frequent visits to GoBerry, a Massachusetts frozen yogurt shop that Jim and Lisa Cervone just couldn’t resist.
From there, the couple became friends with the owner, who helped them open Ayelada’s first Pittsfield, Mass., location in April 2013. Two years later, and success abound in Pittsfield, the Cervones opened their second location in Latham.
While the couple admittedly hadn’t intended to get into the frozen yogurt businesses, they take pride in their work.
“It’s a healthy snack with no artificial ingredients,” said Jim Cervone, who is in the financial business when not at one of the two shops. “It’s just a very good product.”
Open daily from noon to 10 p.m. at 1210 Troy Schenectady Road, Ayelada offers four flavors, but other than its original plain frozen yogurt, the flavors change daily. From peach to strawberry banana, fresh ingredients are added to the base flavor, and it’s all made daily with fresh ingredients in-house.
“Like our banana flavor, we just put bananas in the blender and put them in the yogurt,” said physical therapist Lisa Cervone.
Along with making their frozen yogurt from scratch, the Cervones try to support local businesses by teaming up and making new flavors. Adirondack Coffee Roasters in Plattsburg, Saratoga Peanut Butter and Sundae’s Best Hot Fudge in Saratoga Springs are only three of the area businesses Ayelada has paired with.
As well, the frozen yogurt shop is pairing with other local businesses for summer promotions. In conjunction with an area karate studio, anyone who comes in with his or her uniform gets a dollar off a frozen yogurt every Saturday in July.
On Friday, July 17, Ayelada will be teaming up with Starbucks for a blood drive. For anyone who donates blood, they can get a free frozen yogurt.
Trained employees who are versed on the ingredients in the yogurt serve customers and assist with toppings. The Cervones said they felt the toppings stayed cleaner and customers got a better experience with the full-service model.
But, overall, said Jim, “The key is that we’re different. We make it ourselves. We are probably the only frozen yogurt place, we are aware of, that makes frozen yogurt each day in-house.”
Since the flavors change daily, customers can check out Ayelada’s website at www.ayelada.com to see what is being served. They can also call the shop at 608-0072.