Red Mango to commemorate downtown store opening

COLUMBIA — Columbia is in the middle of a yogurt renaissance.

Red Mango, an international frozen yogurt and fruit smoothie chain that began in South Korea, will commemorate its 100th store opening 11 a.m. Saturday at 1109 E. Broadway.

The self-serve store opened Dec. 10 and features gluten-free frozen yogurt and rotates 22 flavors and 36 toppings.

Bill Chinn, owner of six Red Mango locations, including the one in Columbia, takes pride in the diversity of his product.

“Every time you walk in, you’re going to see different flavors and different toppings,” he said.

Red Mango’s expansion into Columbia marks the implementation of a new market strategy for the company, one that aims to target college students as its main customer base.

“In a college town, there’s great interest in healthy products,” Chinn said. “Students are very focused on being healthy, but at the same time they want an enjoyable dessert.”

Store manager Brittney Scott, however, expects to see more than just college students in line to create their own frozen yogurts.

“We have the best of both worlds,” she said. “Everyone lives near here, so we’ll have the late night crowd and campus kids walking in.”

Red Mango is the second frozen yogurt business established in Columbia, behind the locally owned and operated Yogoluv, which opened in 2009.