• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

  • Advertise
  • Business index
  • Contribute
  • Wellesley Square
  • Private schools
  • Camp
  • Eat
  • Schools
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Embracing diversity
  • Kids
  • About us
  • Events
  • Natick Report
  • COVID-19
  • Seniors
  • Letters to the editor
  • Live government meetings
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Wellesley’s Truly Yogurt: Celebrating 25 years, 200 flavors, 1.5 million customers…

April 5, 2017 by Bob Brown 2 Comments

Truly Yogurt

We’ve seen ice cream and frozen yogurt shops come and go over the years in Wellesley, but Truly Yogurt has been a mainstay at 35 Grove St. for 25 years now. Regardless of how hot or cold it is outside, customers have flocked to Gary Goldman’s shop.

In anticipation of Truly celebrating its 25h anniversary beginning at noon on Sunday, April 9 (expect entertainment, celebrity scoopers, and possibly 1992-style prices and t-shirts), we asked Goldman to reflect on his business and look to the future.

How’d you get into the business? 

My wife and I are both from the area, but we met working at the same company in New Jersey. We were happy there, but after we had our kids, we knew we wanted to come back to the area to be closer to our families and the free babysitting. I was interviewing for corporate jobs up here, but nothing seemed to be working out, and I stumbled upon this little ice cream shop that was for sale in 1992. It was decorated all in pink and it looked like an ice cream store on a tropical island. I had experience in accounting, retail merchandising, and finance– not ice cream. I came in and started making the soft serve myself. I started carrying new flavors, introduced a lot of new toppings and items for sale.

Has it always been in the same spot?

While Truly Yogurt has always been located at 35 Grove St. in Wellesley, the store has undergone a ton of changes. We never had this many soft serve flavors as today (about two dozen are listed on the shop’s website). Our following has grown considerably, too.

Gary Goldman, Truly Yogurt
Gary Goldman’s got the scoop at Truly Yogurt

Any sense of how many people have worked at the shop?

That’s like asking me to count the number of freckles on my redheaded son. I honestly don’t know for sure. I add about 15 new employees every year … so I’d say about 375 employees over the years.

How many customers served?

Well if we count the people that come in every single day (it’s true, and we love them)…In 25 years I figure have served over 1.5 million customers. Watch out McDonald’s!

How many flavors have you had over the years?

We have carried 200 flavors over the years

What’s your favorite flavor and how much frozen yogurt do you consume?

I get that question all the time. My favorite flavor is anything chocolate. But honestly I don’t eat much. I taste test the soft serve every day and any new flavors that I bring in just to make sure it’s up to standard. That’s it, just taste tests.

What flavor did you think would be a hit but flopped?

Key lime pie and S’mores did not go over with my customers. But generally I’m a pretty good predictor of what people are going to find tasty and appealing. [Editor’s note: I, for the record, love key lime pie anything]

What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened at the shop?

We have had several famous visitors, like Will Ferrell, Aly Raisman and Mindy Kaling. Ray Allen used to come in when he played for the Celtics. There was also a movie filmed in front of the store called Thoroughbred.

You’ve seen competitors come and go, and ice cream/frozen yogurt trends come and go. What sort of changes do you see ahead in the next 12 or so months?

Businesses in general have had to adapt to consumer demand for healthier options and more eco-friendly business practices. We are going to be more sustainable. For example, no more plastic bags, and the paper bags will be made out of 100% recyclable material. I think non-dairy alternatives are going to stay popular, as well as a focus on real ingredients, not fake pre-made mixes that some of the chain frozen yogurt shops tend to offer.

How much longer do you see yourself running the shop?

Check back with me in 25 years 😉

(Swellesley readers: Anyone got any real classic Truly stories? If so, feel free to share here: theswellesleyreport@gmail.com)

print
Share

Filed Under: Business, Food

Comments

  1. Sherry Pino says

    April 6, 2017 at 6:09 pm

    Go Gary – such a wonderful shop and so happy for you both – 25 years just amazing. We wish you 25 more years and yes we will keep coming with the grandkids.

    Love you both

    Sherry & Steve

    Reply
  2. Barbara says

    April 8, 2017 at 10:49 pm

    I just found Trulys last year after a tasting at the Natick scoopapoolza . Now it’s my favorite!! Love the coffee Oreo cookie ice cream! Happy Anniversary!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.

Linden Square, Wellesley
Wellesley United Soccer
Wonderful Wellesley

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

 

Advertisements

Wellesley Square
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Cheesy Street Grill
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Fay School, Southborough
Wellesley Theatre Project
Volvo
Admit Fit, Wellesley
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Click on Entering Natick sign to read our Natick Report

Entering Natick road sign

Most Read Posts

  • Congrats to all those sweaty, determined Pan-Mass Challenge riders
  • Wellesley arts news: Davis Museum previews fall exhibits; Abstract art welcomes you to the library
  • An hour in a Wellesley garden—a visit to Little Red
  • Upcoming political debates & forums
  • Wellesley readies for Pan-Mass Challenge 2022

Upcoming Events

Aug 12
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Fay School admission information session

Aug 12
1:00 pm

Bach to Rock free instrument petting zoo

Aug 15
1:00 pm

Wellesley Neighbors, Open Lunch

Aug 17
10:00 am - 11:00 am

Tour at Boston Outdoor Preschool Network

Aug 17
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Al Fresco Dinner and Music on the COA Patio

View Calendar

Popular pages

  • Wellesley’s 7 official scenic roads

Recent Comments

  • Ellen S on The Underrated Cure: Gardening’s Effect on Mental Health
  • Mary Ann on First taste: Wellesley Square’s new Lockheart Restaurant
  • Mary Ann on First taste: Wellesley Square’s new Lockheart Restaurant
  • Michael Maggard WHS '85 on In remembrance: Martha ‘Martie” Cherry Fiske, award-winning Wellesley teacher who fought for job rights
  • Katherine Fellows on Wellesley outdoor watering restrictions to come with a bit of ‘enforcement’

Links we like

  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Taquitos.net
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group

Categories

  • 2021 Town Election (24)
  • Animals (418)
  • Antiques (49)
  • Art (581)
  • Beyond Wellesley (49)
  • Books (368)
  • Business (1,514)
  • Camp (11)
  • Careers/jobs (49)
  • Churches (81)
  • Clubs (229)
  • Construction (296)
  • Dump (127)
  • Education (3,124)
    • Babson College (251)
    • Bates Elementary School (16)
    • Dana Hall School (34)
    • Fiske Elementary School (9)
    • Hardy Elementary School (44)
    • Hunnewell Elementary School (43)
    • MassBay (55)
    • Schofield Elementary School (24)
    • Sprague Elementary School (19)
    • St. John School (2)
    • Tenacre Country Day School (11)
    • Upham Elementary School (35)
    • Wellesley College (610)
    • Wellesley High School (969)
    • Wellesley Middle School (204)
  • Embracing diversity (70)
  • Entertainment (792)
  • Environment (754)
  • Fashion (141)
  • Finance (14)
  • Fire (164)
  • Food (347)
  • Fundraising (615)
  • Gardens (160)
  • Government (565)
    • 2020 Town Election (47)
    • 2022 Town Election (14)
  • Health (853)
    • COVID-19 (200)
  • Hikes (4)
  • History (389)
  • Holidays (406)
  • Houses (157)
  • Humor (47)
  • Kids (854)
  • Law (8)
  • Legal notices (6)
  • Letters to the Editor (63)
  • Media (70)
  • METCO (4)
  • Military (11)
  • Morses Pond (108)
  • Music (571)
  • Natick Report (30)
  • Neighbors (273)
  • Obituaries & remembrances (76)
  • Outdoors (643)
  • Parenting (63)
  • Police (757)
    • Crime (386)
  • Politics (551)
  • POPS Senior Profile (10)
  • RDF (6)
  • Real estate (334)
  • Religion (132)
  • Restaurants (335)
  • Safety (151)
  • Scouts (2)
  • Seniors (123)
  • Shopping (148)
  • Sponsored (6)
  • Sports (986)
    • Athlete of the Week (6)
  • STEM (107)
  • Technology (164)
  • Theatre (395)
  • Town Meeting (23)
  • Transportation (232)
  • Travel (17)
  • Uncategorized (1,231)
  • Volunteering (347)
  • Weather (178)
  • Wellesley Election 2019 (21)
  • Wellesley Free Library (277)
  • Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend (19)
Deland, Gibson Insurance, Wellesley

© 2022 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login