Fifteen years after opening its doors, a local yogurt shop is marking the milestone with another big move: a third location is coming this year.
Culture, co-founded by husband-and-wife team Jenny and Gino Ammirati, will open at 205 Third Ave. in Manhattan’s Gramercy neighborhood. The shop opened its first location in Park Slope, Brooklyn, in 2011, followed by a second store in the West Village in 2013.
True to its name, Culture takes a different approach to yogurt, serving fresh and frozen Greek yogurt made with real yogurt and without added milk, mixes or powders.
“We really pride ourselves on being yogurt makers. Our base product is really amazing, hand-crafted, thick, strained-style yogurt,” Jenny told Whatnow New York City.
Both the fresh and frozen yogurts served contain live probiotic cultures, including L. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus, L. acidophilus and B. lactis.
L. bulgaricus helps produce lactic acid during fermentation and may support digestion, immune function and the breakdown of fats. S. thermophilus works with L. bulgaricus to produce yogurt and helps break down lactose, which may make it beneficial for people who are lactose-intolerant.
“We source our milk from Hudson Valley Farms. We pasteurize the milk. We culture with the live and active probiotics, and then from there, we have our yogurt. Then we take the yogurt and strain it and make it into our handcrafted frozen yogurt,” she said.
For first-time visitors, Jenny recommends trying the frozen yogurt with toppings, with the key lime pie topping among her favorites.
The new Gramercy location will serve the same yogurt while developing its own distinct identity.
“In this new location, we have more frozen yogurt machines, which means we’ll have more flavors available,” Gino told Whatnow New York City. “Certainly, the place itself will not look like either one of the first two places—just customizing each one of our locations for the place that it’s in. The space will be very specific to Gramercy.”
The duo looks forward to expanding Culture’s footprint after over a decade.
“It is exciting to be in a new neighborhood. It’s a neighborhood spot. It’s fun to open new locations. We feel pretty attached to all the places. I always say, building one of these stores, it’s just like having another kid in a way. Each has its own personality, and they are all different,” he said.
Construction is underway, with the new spot expected to open before the end of the year. Visit the Culture website and follow along on Instagram and Facebook.
