Yogurt Jungle survives, thrives on customer loyalty

For Maricopa residents who believe frozen yogurt is its own food group, Yogurt Jungle is a daily stop.

“A lot of our customers come in every day,” said Sharilynn Hewitt, the owner of Yogurt Jungle. “We’re thankful for the loyalty. It kept our doors open when things were really slow.”

Hewitt admits that there have been some ups and downs for her business, as well as most others, with the ebb and flow of the economy. She thinks the loyalty of the Maricopa residents may be the only reason Yogurt Jungle survived the housing crash.

“It was really slow for about a year, but we had people who would come in every day and help keep our doors open,” Hewitt said. “Being on the main street and one of the original businesses, I like to think that they see us as a part of the town, not as outsiders.”

Since opening up the Maricopa location in 2011, Hewitt has seen the good and bad sides of the Maricopa economy, but she believes that it could grow into something wonderful.

“It has a lot of potential, and I think locals prefer the mom and pop shops. People want to keep the money in the town. It’s not like Phoenix where people just spend wherever,” Hewitt said.

Hewitt opened the first Yogurt Jungle in Queen Creek. She decided to open the second location in Maricopa because of its similarities to Queen Creek.

“Queen Creek and Maricopa are both small towns with a lot of loyalty,” Hewitt said. “They’re both growing at the same time, and I wanted to help the town grow.”

As for the yogurt, Hewitt eats it every day, much to the surprise of her employees.

"They always say ‘Don’t you get tired of it?’” Hewitt said. “I don’t get tired of it. There are so many combinations, so some days I do Euro Tart with granola and berries and other days I eat chocolate with brownies and hot fudge.”