01.23.08 — Fraiche, a Culinary Edge client, is featured as a leader in the yogurt trend

In the back hallway at Fraiche, the Palo Alto yogurt shop, Patama Roj slowly pushes open a door to reveal a miniature dairy plant.

“We’re now entering the clean room,” she says, her arm sweeping around the sterile space.

Decked out with a small, glistening pasteurization tank and a walk-in refrigerator lined with gallon jugs of Clover organic milk, this is where Roj and her business partner, Jessica Gilmartin, make the plain yogurt that is served – both fresh and frozen – in their popular 7-month-old shop.

It’s a whole new world for yogurt lovers. In recent years, the dairy product’s popularity has

exploded. Though it has always been considered nourishing and a significant source of calcium, new research detailing even greater benefits has driven health-conscious consumers to the marketplace en masse.

“”I like to get the low-fat plain yogurt with the olallieberry fruit topping,” says another. “If you mix it all together, it’s like a fruit-on-the-bottom cup of flavored yogurt.”

New taste sensations and mix-in options aside, consumers also frequent Fraiche largely because they consider it a healthy snacking option.