New Miami Shores Froyo Shop Opens to Much Fanfare

For Deborah Shrem, the idea for Meli, her new, sugar-free, Greek froyo shop, came out of necessity. “I have a sweet tooth. So it’s been very difficult for me to satisfy my cravings, and I crave a lot of sweets every day,” she says.

She started taking her health more seriously when she and her husband, Eduardo, were looking to conceive. “The doctor told me to slow down on the sugar, so it’s been kind of a process for me,” she adds. She quickly started researching recipes she could make without using regular cane sugar, stumbling upon the sweetener allulose, which is derived from fruits like raisins and figs and has a minimal impact on blood sugar.

That research quickly evolved into the idea of frozen yogurt and starting a shop where she could serve guiltless sweet treats. However, according to Shrem, developing a frozen yogurt recipe sweetened with allulose was no easy task. “It took us six months to figure it out,” she explains.” We did a lot of formulation to get the recipe. We do all the recipes for the Greek yogurt ourselves.”

A Sugar-Free Meli Opens in Miami Shores

The hard work certainly paid off as Sherm finally made her dream of owning a frozen yogurt shop a reality with the opening of Meli. The doors opened to the public on Wednesday, November 19, after months of preparation. The spot at 210 NE 98th St. in Miami Shores was formerly the home of Paradise Beach Gelato, which Shrem and her husband took over in April as a crash course of sorts of running an ice cream shop.

“It was amazing practice. We trained the staff and everything,” Shrem says. “We are trying to give people the best service, but it’s a small space.”

Despite the space constraints, Shrem is already seeing plenty of enthusiasm for Meli. The shop hosted a friends-and-family preview prior to opening, and Shrem says people would routinely try to open the doors before Wednesday’s opening, hoping to get a taste.

Two Flavors and Multiple Toppings (For Now)

So far, Meli is only operating one frozen yogurt machine, which can dispense two flavors: a tart, sugar-free flavor and a berry flavor. For now, these are the only options. However, Shrem hopes to eventually expand Meli’s menu with seasonal offerings once they can afford a second frozen yogurt machine, which can cost upwards of $40,000. “We have a lot of formulated recipes already. We only need another machine,” she shares.

Of course, like any good froyo shop, Meli is all about the toppings, which can, admittedly, make Shrem’s healthy recipe a bit more indulgent, if you wish, while also offering healthier options. Think granola with coconut chips, baklava flakes, guava bites, hazelnut-date butter, and pavlova crumble, plus a generous selection of fresh fruit toppings. The menu also offers signature parfaits, such as “Meli’s Ex,” featuring granola, strawberries, and chocolate crunch, and “The Gold Digger,” which includes Dubai pistachio kataifi cream, crushed pistachios, and baklava crunch.

Hopes For Future Expansion in The Future

And if you are wondering who Meli is, she’s a fictional, almost aspirational character that Shrem and her husband created to serve as the shop’s focal point. “It symbolizes a woman who can represent several different things, that can have different moods depending on the day,” Eduardo explains.

The Shrems eventually hope to expand Meli across South Florida, but for now, they are focused on making sure the Miami Shores shop is a success. “I want my shop to stay. It’s a very cute spot. It’s a very small spot that people feel like home,” Shrem says.

Meli. 210 NE 98th St., Miami Shores; instagram.com/melifrozenyogurt.