Green culture: Salt Lake's new Spoon Me yogurt shop focuses on ecofriendly practices

With spoons and cups that are made to biodegrade within 180 days, treating yourself to a healthy yogurt can now have as little impact on the environment as it does on your waistline.

In addition to spoons made of compressed vegetable starch and sample cups made from corn, Spoon Me employees wear organic cotton T-shirts and walk on floors of bamboo, a renewable material.

"We've put in as much effort as we could to make sure our store is ecofriendly," said Ryan Combe, founder and CEO of the 3-week-old yogurt shop in downtown Salt Lake City. "We'd like at least everything a consumer uses to be green."

Spoon Me bills itself as "a company that cares about the body we live in and the world we live on." The company's 25-year-old founder admits it may be corny, but said his goal was to make the world a little bit better through his business.

"Our goal is that the success we have today will have a very limited effect on the environment," he said.

The shop, at 532 E. 400 South, offers the tart yogurt that is hugely popular right now on the West Coast. At just 80 calories per serving, the yogurt contains live and active cultures, also known as probiotics, and can be garnished with fresh fruit or cereal.

The product was a natural fit for an environmentally friendly business, Combe said.

"I didn't see the sense in developing something very healthy for your body if all of the aftermath would be unhealthy for the environment."

According to at least one expert, Combe and his business partners are on the forefront of a growing practice.

"It's very much the trend," said Joel Makower, executive editor of GreenBiz.com, an online resource for companies interested in sustainable business practices and increasing their environmental responsibility.

"It varies by sector, but particularly in the food sector we're seeing a lot more attention being paid to not just what's being made and its nutritional value, but the larger footprint of the company," Makower said.

Companies, he said, are looking more closely at things such as where their products are made and under what conditions, how far they must travel and how they're sold and marketed.

A focus on the environment, however, is not necessarily the fastest route to a wide profit margin. The products used at Spoon Me cost more than their less "green" counterparts — twice as much more, in some cases — but Combe said the benefits far outweigh the costs.

"Peace of mind wise, it really is worth it," he said.