Entrepreneur James Averdieck has been brought in as an interim director at YooMoo, as the fast-growing frozen yoghurt business gears up for further expansion.

Averdieck, who created Gü Puds in 2003 and sold it to Noble Foods in 2010 for £29m, was appointed to YooMoo’s board as a non-executive director in January, and will now work on an interim basis to support its high street and grocery-based expansion plans.

Started by founders Amanda Gestetner and Samantha Pyser in 2010, YooMoo’s high street-based operation now comprises eight outlets across the UK - plus franchise stores in Greece, Switzerland and the Middle East - and has attracted investment from a consortium of angel investors.

Its expansion into grocery, in April - developed through a joint venture with R+R Ice Cream - has already racked up sales of more than £2m in the major multiples [Nielsen w/e 23 June 2012]. Its strawberry-flavoured Yoomoo mini tub secured a higher cash rate of sale - the cash sales per store per week - than any other mini-tub SKU, including Carte d’Or, Ben & Jerry’s and Häagen-Dazs [Nielsen 12 w/e 26 May 2012].

“YooMoo is a great little brand with big ambitions and I’m enjoying being back in the game after a bit of a break,” said Averdieck.

Averdieck will also be co-presenting a new reality TV series on food entrepreneurs from 5 September, with Gizzi Erskine. Cooks to Market (Sky Living) will feature two pairs of cooks who get a budget of £250 and 24 hours to develop products before selling them. Whoever makes the largest profit wins.

The winning pair then pitch their product to restaurant entrepreneur Sarah Willingham, and executives and investors from the likes of Harrods, Waitrose, Easyjet, Virgin Atlantic, EAT, coffee Republic and Budgens.

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