HERMISTON — Locals will be able to enjoy build-your-own frozen yogurt concoctions once more when Cuppa Yo opens its doors toward the end of April.

The fourth location for the small Bend-based franchise is going in at 115 East Highland Ave., next to Domino’s Pizza and across from Hermiston High.

Cuppa Yo offers eight rotating flavors including dairy-free creams and sorbets, as well as low carb, low-fat and nonfat options accompanied by a wide array of toppings. Each cup is weighed at the register and charged accordingly, giving customers complete control over how much (or little) they wish to indulge.

Joshua Pine, a Umatilla High School graduate, and his wife, Kimberly, are the owners, who, along with their two preteen sons, Jason and Kyrian, recently returned to the area to be close to family after both completed Army military service.

“I’m so excited for it,” Joshua said. “I’ve always wanted to be a business owner, entrepreneur and contribute to developing the community.”

A series of serendipitous events led him to Cuppa Yo.

After high school, he attended Oregon State University, where he met Kim and graduated with a double major in business and political science.

Both were interested in military service and married within days of their first deployment out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma. They served multiple tours in the Middle East, during which time Jason and Kyrian were born.

After their military service, Joshua enlisted in the National Guard, completed his MBA and went to work most recently as an estimating manager for Advanced Government Services, Inc.

When they decided to move back to the Hermiston area, Kim found work at Amazon and convinced Joshua to take a sabbatical to explore directions.

He signed up for an email list for entrepreneurs and, not one to reject opportunities out of turn, checked the box for “franchise opportunities.”

“One button click changed everything,” he said.

A notification about a small fro-yo company out of Bend seeking franchisees shortly followed.

“Literally the next day, my son asked if we could go get some fro-yo,” Joshua recalled.

He found two: one in Pendleton, one in Kennewick. A bit of a drive for a sweet treat.

“It kind of knocked on my forehead and said, ‘Hey, there’s an opportunity here,’” he said.

Upon reaching out, Joshua discovered the owner of Cuppa Yo happened to be, Keith Clayton, the fellow resident assistant he’d worked alongside at OSU.

Clayton opened the first Cuppa Yo on Bend’s west side in 2010 with his then-wife, Melissa, and another couple. Currently, there are three locations—another on Bend’s east side and one in Buckeye, Arizona.

The Hermiston Cuppa Yo will join three other new locations in North Plains, Oregon, Dublin, California and Willis, Texas.

Coincidentally, Clayton had previously partnered with John Piening and Tiffany Rieg, who operated Yo Country Frozen Yogurt and Kombucha Bar in Hermiston until a couple of years ago.

Pine wants to make the Hermiston Cuppa Yo a community gathering spot where parents and kids can take a break, which is why the shop will offer a 200-square-foot play area.

The Pines plan celebration days, including a soft opening just for first responders and their families, a veteran discount and a discount for kids who show they’re keeping up with their homework.

Joshua looks forward to mentoring his part-time employees and sponsoring as many sports teams as they can.

“I remember as a kid playing baseball and football, it was those sponsors that made it all possible,” he said.

“We’ll see where it goes,” he added. “I have other business ideas bouncing around in my head. There has been so much growth in Hermiston and the area and there are so many opportunities, I really want to help build on that.”