Prompt Cast
Success story of Yasso Greek yogurt ice cream brand
TLDR Childhood friends Amanda Klane and Drew Harrington created the successful Yasso brand of frozen Greek yogurt by combining their love for Chobani Greek yogurt with the appeal of Ben and Jerry's, overcoming challenges in product development and competition to eventually achieve profitability and be acquired by Unilever in 2023.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Yasso is a successful brand of frozen Greek yogurt that was created by two childhood friends who decided to sell their product in big box stores from the start.
06:21
Amanda Klane gained valuable experience in the food business working for her father's specialized brokerage firm, while Drew Harrington started brainstorming entrepreneurial ideas, eventually creating an inflatable beer pong table as a side project.
11:57
Drew Harrington took a risk by investing his savings and a matching investment from his mentor into creating inflatable beer pong tables, which eventually led to significant revenue growth through online sales and partnerships with retailers like Spencer Gifts and Urban Outfitters.
17:35
Amanda Klane and Drew Harrington, childhood friends, decided to start a business together creating healthier ice cream by combining the success of Chobani Greek yogurt with the appeal of Ben and Jerry's, leading them to experiment with frozen Greek yogurt stick bars as a unique product.
23:12
Amanda and Drew experimented with freezing Greek yogurt to create a creamy consistency for their ice cream bars, but faced challenges in removing fat and sugar while adding protein, leading to a year-long learning curve before achieving a satisfactory product.
28:58
Amanda and Drew faced challenges in finding experts to help them develop their Greek yogurt ice cream brand, eventually settling on the name Yasu and seeking out affordable food science labs for product development.
34:21
Amanda and Drew faced challenges in developing their Greek yogurt ice cream brand due to the difficulties of working with higher protein content and finding a suitable manufacturer, eventually securing a meeting with a facility in New Jersey called Mr. Cookie Face.
40:06
Amanda and Drew managed to secure a trial run for their Yasso Greek yogurt ice cream by pitching their idea to a facility in New Jersey, allowing them to start contacting retailers and eventually launch their product in 2011.
45:41
Amanda and Drew aimed to compete with low-calorie brands in mainstream grocery stores, targeting big national retailers like Costco and Northeast chains to launch their Yasso Greek yogurt ice cream.
51:05
Amanda and Drew faced numerous challenges in the early days of Yasso, including a truck accident that led to the loss of a full truckload of product, packaging errors, and financial struggles.
57:00
Yasso rapidly expanded their team and revenue, reaching $5 million in their first year and $18 million by 2013, facing challenges like slotting fees and competition from big players like Ben and Jerry's.
01:02:54
Yasso faced competition from big players like Ben and Jerry's and other ice cream brands, but managed to stay ahead by focusing on product taste and quality, eventually achieving profitability and resisting trends to stay true to their Greek yogurt-based products.
01:08:37
Yasso co-founders, Amanda Klane and Drew Harrington, eventually set themselves up for acquisition by a private equity firm in 2017, leading to Unilever acquiring the company in 2023, with Klane and Harrington now serving as brand ambassadors for the Yasso brand.
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Business
