College Station’s hottest new yogurt shop started by Mays students, current and former

By Shae Ford ’11, student writing intern for Mays Business Online

When David Mebane ’98 enlisted the help of the Mays Business Fellows to create a concept for a new business venture in College Station, he was thinking something along the lines of a drive-in movie theatre. What he got was the city’s hottest frozen yogurt shop, Spoons.

What began as a project for the Fellows has turned into a frozen treat sensation since the shop opened on Texas Avenue last fall. Andrew Pappas ’10, a senior accounting major at Mays, pitched the concept to Mebane alongside his teammates for a class project. Mebane was intrigued and started exploring options with them, moving it from concept to concrete business plan.

Learning Yogurt, Inside and Out
Any successful entrepreneur will tell you that in order to sell a product well, you have to know it inside and out. Each of the team members learned more about yogurt than they ever cared to: the difference in flavors across brands, what flavors were available, and which toppings consumers were most likely to pair with yogurt were only a few of the questions the Fellows team had to answer. Yogurt aside, Pappas spent an entire summer working alongside Mebane as they ironed out the logistics of opening the shop. Not only did everything have to be plugged in, decorated, and arranged, the team also entered the HR realm by working with employees to insure exceptional customer service.

Spooning for a Cause
Besides being simply delicious, Spoons’ competitive edge comes from the way it interacts with its community. The shop has become a popular hangout for Fish Camp groups and other campus organizations, and has partnered with various organizations to raise money for causes. Jennifer Hayes ’11, an officer of Christian Business Leaders at Mays, visited Spoons last semester to help raise money for CBL’s Support the Troops drive. "It was a very easy process. We called, set a date, signed some paperwork, ate yogurt, and made money," says Hayes.

When tragedy struck Haiti and students wanted to support the relief effort, Mebane donated every penny Spoons made on a recent weekday to the American Red Cross. Events like "Spooning for Haiti" appeared on Facebook, and the group "Eat Spoons-Help Less Fortunate!" had more than 1,600 members within a few days. The result? Spoons flooded with customers and experienced record sales.

A True Aggie Venture
Hayes said it best when she described what makes the business successful. "Right down to the shirts for sale, which say ‘Come Spoon with Us,’ [Spoons] appeals to the average college student." Perhaps that has to do with the fact it was created in part by business-savvy Mays students.

To learn how you can support students at the Mays Business School, contact David Hicks ‘ 75 with the Texas A&M Foundation at (979) 845-2904. This article was first published in the February 2010 edition of Mays Business Online.