Strawberry Fields Serves Frozen Delights Without Guilt

New Providence residents looking to indulge in a flavorful treat can look no further than the newly opened shop, serving up 10 nutritious flavors with more than 45 toppings.

The shop, which opened at 12 South Street on March 1, is owned by Mendham residents Robin and Robert Mercadante and Ann and Gary Harris, who live in Chatham.

Robert, a developer who owns residential and commercial properties, said he was looking for a change and Robin suggested opening a frozen yogurt business.

“I didn’t want to do yogurt," said Robert, who is Strawberry Fields' general manager. "I thought it was a terrible idea. But when I saw the self-serve idea, because it’s self-serve, that completely blew my mind. I thought that was great, the kids loved it, and every time I go to an ice cream store, it seems they have a difficult time satisfying what I really want.

“They got a kid in the back and he’s trying to do a good job but he can’t because he doesn’t really know what you want. So he puts maybe the wrong amount of chocolate sauce, it’s either too much or not enough, and no matter what you order, it’s very difficult to get it right. So the idea of helping yourself and getting what you want was a big turn-on to me so we decided this would be a good idea.”

Soon, the business idea became a family and friend affair, with the Mercadante children — 21-year-old Dana, Kristie, 19, and 13-year-old Sabrina — getting involved, as well as Gary, Ann and their children, Annie, 15, and 13-year-old Meg.

“All of a sudden, it became a big family/friend project,” said Robin, who handles the books as well as advertising, purchasing and setting up new locations. “My middle daughter, Kristie, she picked out the name and our kids helped us out with ideas, flavor choices and that’s how it all got started.”

Robin said the partners did demographic studies to determine where they wanted to open the shops. Their first location, opened last August in Maplewood, was the result of research and nostalgia. Robert, Gary and borough resident Jim Madden have been friends since they grew up in Maplewood, where they attended Columbia High School together. 

Aside from the Morristown location that is set to open this May, the partners decided to set up shop in New Providence with the help of Madden and borough resident Perry Sann, two friends of their family. Robert and Gary have been friends with Sann for about 15 years.

“Perry and Jim were instrumental in introducing us to a lot of people and giving us a certain amount of comfort to open here,” Robert explained. “We’re moving really fast because I think the concept is so good that you have to really pick your locations and go for it.”

"We've been thrilled by the reception we've gotten," Robin said. "They've been welcoming and friendly. And the students we've hired from New Providence High School are hard-working and respectful, which is very refreshing. These kids are headed in the right direction."

Aside from the self-serve concept, every flavor of yogurt at Strawberry Fields boasts nutritional benefits. Most are gluten-free and are as little as 100 calories per 4 oz. serving.

“Our yogurt comes from different places and we selected each flavor based on delivering the best nutritional benefits. We wanted it to be the healthiest and offer the most nutritional benefits, while still delivering great flavor. So each flavor is picked individually from [several] different sources [around the country],” Robin explained. “The majority of them are non-fat, but we also offer low-fat. After opening our first store, we learned more and more, and found the best suppliers who could offer us the best yogurt.”

Strawberry Fields also offers dairy-free flavors, like Mango, and will be offering either a chocolate or vanilla sugar-free flavor.

And let’s not forget the toppings.

“Our fruit is all fresh, it arrives daily. Everything else comes from three different sources and we actually offer about 45 to 50 toppings in general,” Robin said. “We rotate based on holidays, offering candy corn for Halloween, offering candy cane for Christmas. We’re trying to get Irish Mint Yogurt, which is non-fat, [for St. Patrick’s Day].”

The shop also features a variety of sprinkles, wheat germ, flax seed and Ghiradelli syrups to add on top of any tasty concoction, and will soon be offering Seattle’s Best gourmet coffee.

So far, the Mercadantes’ say Strawberry Fields has been successful in New Providence.

“The community has welcomed us with open arms,” Robert said. “It’s been very good. Everyone is enjoying the yogurt, of course we’ve been lucky with the weather, but it seems it was something the town sort of took in and needed.”

The Grand Opening for Strawberry Fields is set for tomorrow and will be highlighted by a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 12 p.m., face painting, a limited supply of free Strawberry Fields baseball hats, and coupons for discounted yogurt.

Robin said anyone who buys yogurt will have their own ticket placed in a raffle jar and will have a chance to win prizes.