London welcomes Yorica, the first allergen-free dessert store

Yorica, “the first ever completely free from” sweets and dessert store, opened in London, on Wardour Street in Soho in March and only sells food which is free from dairy, nuts, gluten, eggs and wheat. Customers can buy ice cream, frozen yogurt and milkshakes that have been made with rice milk, seaweed, vanilla bean paste and other natural ingredients, including natural sugars and sweeteners. The various flavours are simply delicious, a must visit when you’re in Soho!

Open Plan Living is really proud to be part of this project, supplying these beautiful bespoke stools.

We had a lovely chat with the brand Director, Monika Jagielo, to understand how this project started.

OPL: Yorica is the first allergen free dessert store in London. Where did this idea come from?

MJ: We wanted to create a unique and delicious product, catering not only to the many people with food intolerances and allergies, but also to those who want to enjoy a healthy treat.

Rather than being made with dairy, our products are all made with natural earth-bound ingredients. Rice milk and coconut milk are both natural foods that are light and healthy, good for the gut and much easier for your body to process. With their natural sweetness you still get the same great taste without it being bad. Our products are completely free-from, meaning there are no allergens like nuts, dairy, gluten, eggs, GMO, corn and no artificial sweeteners either. Our healthy treats are nutritionally rewarding and we go out of way to create regular customer surprise.

OPL: Why London?

MJ: As this is such a new concept, we needed to choose a location where we could really test it out. London is such a cosmopolitan city with great diversity so it was a no brainer! Also, lots of children and adults with allergies come to London for treatment so it seemed like a good idea to open the first store here. It is extremely rewarding to see a parent being able to give a child with allergies a healthy treat without being concerned about the health implications.

OPL: Yorica is beautiful! How important is the design to the future success of your business?

MJ: In such a competitive market, a store’s design plays a huge role in its success. A great core product is no longer sufficient in our market, the design needs to be inspirational and we wanted to create a space that customers love and feel comfortable in. We want our store to be memorable, a surprising, entertaining and distinctive place to eat.

OPL: Your store has a beautiful  colour palette. What inspired you?

MJ: Our brand identity is inspired by the 60’s Hippie spirit of free love and the peaceful, fun-loving festivals of that era. The colours scheme combines lovely shades of teal and taupe with the warmth of natural wood throughout the store.

Yorica, 130 Wardour Street, London W1F 8ZN