Indulging in bougie desserts from smaller franchises has seen a serious spike in popularity, as opposed to just your everyday tub of Häagen-Dazs. Don’t be fooled by the hipster flare and cute artisanal decorations, though. Specialty shops have to work hard to keep their customers or melt to a puddle trying.

One such establishment can be found in our very own Greenwich Village. Culture: An American Yogurt Company is a compact, independently-owned frozen yogurt shop located on West Eighth Street. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable and ready to serve you all the fro-yo you could possibly want. The manager of the store shared that the yogurt was made fresh according to a schedule multiple times a week to ensure a quality experience. After making it five years past opening, it’s apparent the shop isn’t going anywhere.

All the yogurt is made in-house from scratch. The milk is sourced from local Hudson Valley farms to ensure that the cows are treated humanely. But don’t be fooled by the trendy buzzwords, Culture’s yogurts are surprising unpretentious and simply delicious.

Culture offers a limited number of flavors each day because it’s yogurt is truly all-natural. The triple berry pie yogurt, for instance, is made with actual raspberries, blackberries and blueberries as opposed to the chemically derived or so-called natural flavoring methods used at larger fro-yo stores.

After ordering a small — the portions are incredibly generous — combination of original and organic whole-milk triple berry pie complete with flaked almonds, coconut and crystallized ginger, I sat down to taste my towering treat. The yogurt was thick and luscious. The original possessed a delectable tartness that was not at all overpowering and paired perfectly with the sweeter triple berry pie. The sweetness of the sweetness of the berries was just subtle enough. There was no trace of chemicals or fake flavorings that are used all too often in conventional frozen yogurt. I could taste the authenticity. The cool silkiness of the yogurt paired with the earthy almonds and delightfully chewy coconut was heavenly. It is far more satisfying to indulge in a treat composed of real food made with responsibly sourced ingredients.

This small business willingly foregoes faster production methods and chemical-laden ingredients which would perhaps increase output but would undoubtedly contradict its steadfast dedication to producing a higher standard of frozen yogurt. Refreshing, delicious, satisfying and unique, Culture has certainly earned its position among the cool kids.

Email Matigen King at [email protected].