For Ralph Hall, a family trip to see his oldest of four kids in Denver 10 years ago led to a new career.
While relaxing in the hotel room, he told his kids to go get a pizza and he handed them $20. They didn’t get a pizza. Instead, they gave into their sweet tooth and bought frozen yogurt. When they got home, they told Ralph and their mom, Lynn Hall, they had to go and try it for themselves.
“So we did and my wife fell in love with it,” Ralph recalled.
She loved it so much, in fact, that Ralph and Lynn started a frozen yogurt business in Ashland alongside Ralph’s sister, Robin Belsky, and brother-in-law, Joe Belsky. They called it Kravin’ Frozen Yogurt. Initially the four were worried whether it would be successful. Today, 10 years later, Kravin’ has become an Ashland staple.
“Its been going good, really good,” Ralph said with a smile.
Staying in business for 10 years is not easy. The secret, Ralph said, is simple—good customer service.
“They’re all really good people and really good workers,” he said.
He also likes to keep up with the latest trends and what flavors are popular. The top seller these days is cake batter, followed by the classic chocolate and vanilla flavors. Ralph also offers sorbet options so those with a sweet tooth who are lactose intolerant can soothe their cravings.
If customers want something to wash their ice cream down with, Kravin’ offers boba tea: tea accompanied by chewy tapioca balls (“boba” or “pearls.”). As it grew popular worldwide, customers locally started asking for it. So, like the frozen yogurt, Lynn tried it for herself.
“We went on vacation and went to a couple different places and she says ‘Oh boy, now I know what the excitement is all about,’” Ralph said, chuckling.
What the customer wants, the customer gets, Ralph said, so they started selling boba tea in 2023 and it has been another big hit. Last summer, Kravin’ also started selling a natural energy drink called Lotus that’s made from the lotus flower and several other plants, Ralphs said.
“They extract the natural caffeine and sugars from the plant that grow all over the world. They make it into a liquid base and then add some flavoring to it. We got strawberry, pomegranate, raspberry, whatever,” Ralph said. “We add carbonated water and ice and it’s just fantastic.”
Locals and tourists far and wide have walked through Kravin’s doors to get something sweet. Customers frequently indicate where they came from on a whiteboard that has little room left it’s so full. The farthest a customer has come from is all the way in Melbourne, Australia— 9,572 miles away.
Looking to the next 10 years, Ralph said he looks forward to catering to what the customer wants.
“If there’s something else out there that they’re asking for, that might be what we have to pivot to,” he said.
Mayor Matthew MacKenzie congratulated the folks at Kravin’ for their anniversary.
“We are proud of all our businesses. Ten years is a significant accomplishment for any business. On behalf of the city, we congratulate them on that milestone,” he said.
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