EasiYo has been a household favourite in New Zealand and around the world for decades. But beyond lunchboxes and breakfast tables, its yogurt is also made in commercial kitchens: from hospitals and schools to Scott Base in Antarctica.
When it came time to refresh their foodservice yogurt maker, EasiYo partnered with Blender to modernise the unit with smarter features and better performance. The result is a robust, intuitive system that delivers consistent, high-quality yogurt, even in the busiest and most remote environments.
EXPERTISE
- Industrial Design
- Mechanical Engineering
- Electronics Integration
- Design for Manufacture
- Manufacturing Support
CHALLENGE
Keeping it simple while making it smarter.
EasiYo’s food service yogurt maker had reliably served kitchens for years, but its manual setup and lack of internal smarts limited performance in demanding environments. Expectations were changing, and customers needed more consistent results with less hands-on attention.
The brief was clear: build a smarter, more reliable unit without losing what made the original popular, such as simplicity, ease of use, and consistently great yogurt. Alongside these product requirements, the project needed to meet compliance, offshore manufacturing demands, and oversight from EasiYo’s parent company.
APPROACH
Designing from the inside out.
Blender and EasiYo worked closely to evaluate the existing unit and shape a practical, real-world brief. The focus was on adding smart features without introducing unnecessary complexity.
The user experience was kept intentionally simple: a single yogurt-making function with an additional factory test mode. Under the hood, significant upgrades were made. Blender integrated custom electronic hardware, using smart sensors, and a temperature control algorithm to precisely manage fermentation. The Blender team worked in close collaboration with EasiYo’s food scientists throughout development to fine-tune the yogurt profile.
The interface was redesigned with user-friendly, clearly labelled controls, and the robust stainless-steel construction ensured durability across diverse commercial kitchen environments.
“It was all about collaboration,” says Tippany, Food Science Manager at EasiYo. “We had clear ideas about what the unit needed to be, and Blender brought their perspective to explore a bit deeper. It was about asking the right questions, identifying any constraints and opportunities, then working together to figure out what mattered most.”
OUTCOME
A smooth blend of form and function.
The result is a next-generation commercial yogurt maker that combines smart design, durable build, and reliable everyday performance. It consistently delivers high-quality results, whether in a school cafeteria, hospital kitchen, or remote mining camp.
Since launch, technical queries and complaints have dropped significantly compared to the previous model. “The response from customers has been fantastic,” says Tippany. “We’ve had really positive feedback on how incredibly easy it is to use.”
The redesign has strengthened EasiYo’s foodservice presence across New Zealand and Australia, making it easier to engage technically demanding clients and meet expectations for reliability and simplicity. Built for long-term use, the product gives EasiYo a strong platform for the future of foodservice.
“The team at Blender are incredibly smart,” says Tippany. “I love the passion they show for the products they’re involved with. Their level of care and detail is really evident – they listen well, do the due diligence, and their standards are higher than anyone else.”
