Mar 7, 2018
By Deanna Salt
Lookout cookie dough lovers, there’s a frozen treat for you around the Tampa Bay area. Fro-Dough is a new hit for Florida days no matter the weather.
A USF couple, sophomore Bree Sparks and freshman Cameron Austin, combined the trend of edible cookie dough companies, and the cold sweetness of ice cream to create, Fro-Dough.
“People are super excited anytime they see it, they have to do a double-take because it still is a really new concept,” said founder Bree Sparks.
Remember all the times you were told as a kid, “uncooked cookie dough will make you sick?” Well do not fear, Fro-Dough is completely safe because it is made with safe flour and a replacement for eggs. Not only is Fro-Dough unique because it is frozen compared to other cookie dough companies, but many of the flavors are actually vegan or gluten-free.
Sparks is vegan, and a huge cookie dough connoisseur herself. “Edible cookie dough has been like one of our many passions, like everyone else we love to eat it straight out of the bowl.”
There are a variety of flavors, ranging from regular chocolate chip, sugar cookie, cake batter, brownie batter, sweet and salty and even a mixed berry cobbler flavor.
“Our flavors, if we don’t absolutely love them, we don’t sell them. And we freeze it, not a lot of other people freeze it and, in our opinions, it just makes it so much better,” said Austin.
While Fro-Dough does not have a specific location, you can try free samples at many different events throughout the Tampa Bay area.
“We do markets around Tampa Bay like right now we’re selling every week on Wednesdays and Thursdays at USF Bull Market, and we also do an array of events over the weekend that you can find on our Facebook page,” said Sparks.
Sparks and Austin have come a long way from when they first started making cookie dough for fun at home.
“It was pretty lengthy, cause there’s really no instructions on doing it, especially like us, where we’re selling at markets rather than starting an actual brick and mortar place,” said Sparks. “It was a bit confusing to get licensed. We had to go through the Department of Hotels and Businesses and get licensed by them, a business license. We had to get our freezer, we had to get our trailer and perfect all our recipes.”
Fro-Dough uses a commercial kitchen in South Tampa where the whole dream comes together.
“This place helped out a lot because I went in here not knowing anything, and I talked to the owner and she gave me a whole list of all the things that I needed to do which was super helpful,” Sparks explained.
After recently starting this business in 2017, Sparks and Austin have lots of hopes for Fro-Dough. They are partnering with a local non-profit, Keys to Kindness. They donate all proceeds from their Kind Blast-Mixed Berry Cobbler flavor. They also hope to open a storefront soon, so look out Tampa Bay.
Keep up with Fro-Dough on their Facebook page at Frodough.co, and their Instagram @fro.dough.
This was created by USF student Deanna Salt for Jeanette Abrahamsen’s Advanced Reporting class in 2018.
