LA's pricey yogurt with celeb fans set to expand

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES (Reuters Life!) - It's fat free, has a celebrity following and its own tune, and it's likely to be coming to a city near you very soon.

It's a tart but sweet frozen yogurt called Pinkberry and it has taken Los Angeles by storm since the first store opened two years ago in hip West Hollywood serving up pricey portions with customized toppings.

Despite no advertising, fans regularly line up round the block to get their fix of Pinkberry's "swirls of chilly bliss with a distinct pouty peak," causing the Los Angeles Times to dub it "the taste that launched a 1,000 parking tickets."

Now, thanks to an infusion this week of $27.5 million from venture capital group Maveron, Pinkberry is expected to expand rapidly beyond its 28 Los Angeles and five New York stores.

Howard Schultz, chairman of Starbucks -- the world's biggest coffee shop chain -- is one of the men behind the financing. Pinkberry consumers, he said, have "spread an authentic word-of-mouth endorsement that's enabled the brand to become a cultural phenomenon."

The brain-child of Korean American restaurateur Shelly Hwang and kick boxer turned architect Young Lee, the influx of cash will enable Pinkberry to expand as a franchise both across the United States and into international markets. Pinkberry spokesman Jeff Rose declined to give details of the plans.

Pinkberry's spare, pale green, Philippe Starck-inspired stores have become a hot spot for celebrity watchers. Paris Hilton, Jerry Seinfeld, Salma Hayek and Reese Witherspoon have all been spotted feasting on tubs of plain or green tea "fro-yo," sprinkled with toppings ranging from strawberries and mango to chocolate chips and fruity pebbles.

A "groupie corner" on the yogurt's Web site is a nod to the cult status of the product, whose recipe is secret.