Years ago, entrepreneurs Colin Kim and James Lee saw that the market for frozen yogurt shops was thriving on the west and east coasts, but weren’t opening in the Midwest because of sparse population and cold weather.
Despite these potential obstacles, the two cousins decided to open a new yogurt shop in Champaign because Lee was a University graduate, and knew the location well. In the spring of 2009, they opened Cocomero, which means watermelon in Italian, at 709 S. Wright Street.
Kim and Lee’s idea of opening a frozen yogurt shop in a college campus town was deemed successful. In recent years, many college campuses have followed this trend.
“We try keeping Cocomero very lively, colorful and friendly,” said Xavier Woo, chief manager of Cocomero. “It’s kind of a place where you can go to just to feel better and feel happier.”
Woo began working at Cocomero when he was a junior at the University, right when Kim and Lee opened Cocomero.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
Woo said he is very proud to have been a part of Cocomero for the past three years.
“It’s fun working here, and has been that way since we first opened,” Woo said.
He said he enjoyed every step of being with Cocomero through its ups and downs, such as the challenge of enduring its first winter season. Woo said he has also enjoyed the company of his coworkers, whom have become close friends and are like family.
“It’s been a great experience watching the store grow, but it’s been a greater experience watching my coworkers grow,” he said.
While the welcoming atmosphere draws customers into Cocomero, the frozen yogurt is what keeps people coming back. The combination of the health aspect of frozen yogurt and the fun self-serving experience is what makes frozen yogurt shops so popular, Woo said.
The serve yourself serving process involves picking any yogurt flavor and toppings the customer would like. Some of the toppings offered are fresh fruit, such as mango or pineapple, candy, cereal toppings, chocolate and mochi, which is a Japanese rice cake.
People generally like the very basic flavors, Woo said. Their best sellers are vanilla, strawberry and chocolate, with tart and taro also being options that customers enjoy. Tasha Weston, employee at Cocomero and freshman in DGS, said some of her favorite toppings include red velvet, brownies and blueberries.
Throughout the season, Cocomero often rotates many flavors in and out. When they first started, they served flavors such as pistachio and honeydew. In the fall season, Cocomero offers pumpkin spice and apple pie flavors. During the spring season, they bring in Georgia peach, banana and lemon.
Building on the success of Cocomero in Champaign, Kim may open a second Cocomero in Chicago in the future.
A year and a half after opening Cocomero, Kim opened Spoon House, located at 616 E. Green Street, in fall 2010.
Kim’s inspiration to open Spoon House was that it was his dream to one day open a Korean restaurant, Woo said. In big cities, such as LA and Chicago, there was a popular trend of serving Westernized Korean food. Korean taco trucks have even become a big hit.
Similar to Cocomero’s originality, Kim introduced the style of Westernized Korean food to Campustown.
“We serve traditionally Korean food, but there also is a fusion of Mexican food and Korean food, such as burritos, quesadillas and tacos,” said Angela Lee, manager of Spoon House.
For instance, they use Korean marinated meats, but it is done in a more Westernized way, she said.
As well as originality, another theme that is shared between the two businesses is fresh ingredients.
“Colin is a very firm believer in that fresh ingredients make better things,” Woo said.
Even though fruit can be hard to get in the winter season, Cocomero employees always get the freshest fruit and ingredients they can. Sometimes, they personally drive to Chicago to pick up mangos because they know that people enjoy fresh, good quality fruit, Woo said.
Spoon House also emphasizes freshness, which is seen through their noodles, which are made from scratch. According to Woo, Kim went to Korea over winter break and learned how to make noodles by hand.
Whether one wants to try a new recipe, have a fun experience creating one’s own dessert, or bond with friends over fresh noodles or frozen yogurt, Kim and Woo try to make sure one will always enjoy good food and a welcoming atmosphere at Cocomero and Spoon House.