ORANGE — Good things come to those who wait.
The Frozen Orange frozen yogurt shop opened its doors on Sept. 20, four years after Kimberly and Derrick Emond set their sights a vacant spot in Hillcrest Plaza.
“It was very busy. And sales-wise, it was busier Sunday than it was Saturday,” Kimberly recounted this week, sitting in one of the booths set up inside 90 New Athol Road, Suite 2. “None of us have ever worked in an ice cream place or a frozen yogurt place, so it was a huge learning curve.”
The roughly 840-square-foot shop offers frozen yogurt (with abundant flavors and toppings), slushies, coffee, soda and hot dogs. Unlike many fro-yo joints, The Frozen Yogurt does not sell by weight — but rather by size and the types of toppings.
Kimberly Emond serves up some frozen yogurt at The Frozen Orange on New Athol Road in Orange. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ 
Kimberly Emond and husband Derrick Emond in the colorful seating area of The Frozen Orange on New Athol Road in Orange. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ 
Kimberly Emond in The Frozen Orange on New Athol Road in Orange. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ
The Emonds got the ball rolling in 2021, but they ran into a variety of issues, ranging from a lack of available contractors during the pandemic to family developments to their full-time jobs. Derrick retired from federal law enforcement a year ago and Kimberly works as a service coordinator for Sandri Energy.
“But it also gave us the opportunity to really tweak my vision,” Kimberly said of the lengthy opening process.
She said she has always dreamed of owning a business, and while Orange has seen its fair share of ice cream spots, it hasn’t had a frozen yogurt shop.
“I know this area can support another place like that, and it just made sense,” she said. “It’s been a long time coming.”
“The population of the town has been wonderful,” said Derrick, who serves as the shop’s manager, with help from their son, Ryan.
Instead of cane sugar, the Emonds’ frozen yogurt is made with fruit sugars, which Kimberly said provides a healthier option and does not cause an insulin spike.
The couple also cold-brews Black Rifle Coffee every week to craft their “frozen coffee,” which they compared to the former Coffee Coolattas from Dunkin’. As veterans and the parents of veterans, they said they wanted to support a company owned by a peer, in addition to sending a portion of each item’s proceeds to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation or the Wounded Warrior Project.
The Frozen Orange’s fall and winter hours will be from 6 to 9 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Weekday hours will expand to 5 to 9 p.m. in the spring and summer months.
The business has a website (thefrozenorange.com) that is a work in progress and a Facebook page at facebook.com/thefrozenorange.
