Pinkberry Partners with International Tennis Star Maria Sharapova to Launch Sugarpova Candy Toppings at Pinkberry Stores Nationwide

LOS ANGELES, March 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Pinkberry announced today an agreement with international tennis star, Maria Sharapova to offer Sharapova's premium gummy candy collection, Sugarpova, in its toppings bars. Pinkberry invites consumers to experience the delicious, fun, fashionable, sweet world of Sugarpova. These modern candies are Sharapova's interpretation of her own signature style with fun, unexpected shapes. Pinkberry partnered with Sugarpova to design a distinctive product line that consists of three candy options for its stores:  Flirty Mini, a fruit-flavored candy in the shape of kissable lips, Smitten Sour Mini, a sour rainbow candy strip, and Flirty Sour Mini, a collection of sour fruit-flavored lips, hearts and stars.

"As a long time fan of Pinkberry, nothing thrills me more than to work with them on this collaboration," said Maria Sharapova, founder and creative director for Sugarpova. "Marrying the playful world of Sugarpova candy with Pinkberry's iconic frozen yogurt is an exciting way to create new taste experiences for its fans to enjoy."

"Maria Sharapova and the Pinkberry brand share core values of an uncompromising commitment to quality and customer delight," said Ron Graves, CEO of Pinkberry.  "We are excited to partner with Maria, a genuinely passionate consumer of our brand and a lover of premium treats, to offer a new one-of-a-kind taste experience at our Pinkberry Stores nationwide.

Pinkberry and Sugarpova are asking fans to invite friends to share a Pinkberry by posting a photo of their creation on Instagram using the hashtag #SharaPinkberry or spontaneously e-gifting their friends using Pinkberry's digital channels.   Pinkberry and Sugarpova will return the generosity by sending a $15 eGift to a fan a day for the entire month of March.

In addition to Sugarpova topping being available at participating Pinkberry locations nationwide, a select number of Pinkberry stores will carry the individual 5-ounce bags of Sugarpova candy consisting of 15 different flavors. A portion of all sales from the full size Sugarpova candy collection will be donated to the Maria Sharapova Foundation, furthering her on-going dedication to helping children around the world achieve their dreams.

About Pinkberry

Pinkberry launched in West Hollywood, Calif., in 2005 as the original brand that reinvented the category and now has more than 250 stores worldwide in 20 countries. Today, Pinkberry continues to delight everyone it serves with an experience made up of distinctive product, outstanding service and inspirational design. Pinkberry creates one-of-a-kind, light and refreshing treats with an uncompromising commitment to quality.  For more information on Pinkberry, visit www.pinkberry.com or on Facebook www.facebook.com/pinkberry or Twitter @pinkberry.

About Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova is in constant motion as a world traveler and manages to maintain, and more importantly grow, a formidable business presence internationally.  Sharapova's business empire is firing on all cylinders as she continues to represent major brands including:  TAG Heuer, Nike, Evian, Porsche, Head, and Samsung.  The four time grand slammer winner is an athlete, designer, philanthropist, and social media mogul with 12+ million Facebook fans and is Bing's most searched athlete of 2012. Sugarpova (www.sugarpova.com) launched in August 2012 with Sharapova as Founder and Creative Director. Twitter: #Sugarpova

SOURCE Pinkberry