Matthew Wallace was on track to become a professor or work at a biotechnology company after studying biochemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His father was a scientist, and he figured he would become one, too. But while pursuing his post-doctoral studies at MIT, Wallace conceptualized a yogurt shop that would connect Harvard students to a larger community—a business that “could really cater to students,” he says. Wallace and his best friend, who studied at Harvard, were inspired by a cookie and ice cream shop called Diddy Riese in Westwood, California, near UCLA, where they both went to graduate school. “This low-key joint attracted mobs of students,” Wallace says. “It’s both a place you took your parents to and a place you went with your friends.” He and his friend emulated this spirit on the East Coast and founded BerryLine, New England’s first tart yogurt chain. Thirteen years later, BerryLine has developed into a Harvard Square staple, a place where both Harvard students and Cambridge locals meet for an original frozen yogurt topped with house-made mochi and Oreo cheesecake.
I recently became BerryLine’s newest employee. Stepping behind the counter, I’ve learned of the importance of customer interaction to foster community amidst the disconnected atmosphere of the pandemic. Joining the BerryLine team has immersed me into the community outside of Harvard as a student-employee. With two locations in Cambridge, one on Arrow Street and the other on Massachusetts Avenue, BerryLine functions as a small business writ large; although there are only two employees on each shift and the shops themselves have a small, homey feel, the volume of customers we serve each day, particularly on warmer days, speaks to BerryLine’s far-reaching appeal.
Wallace takes pride in the company’s strong sense of community. He can most often be found in the shop’s Mass Ave basement making homemade toppings in his signature orange Crocs, but he has fostered a BerryLine community that extends well beyond the behind-the-scenes. “Any time I have a doubt about BerryLine, business, the pandemic, I think about those instances when folks in the community come in and tell me about those wonderful stories they have about BerryLine,” says Wallace. “We’ve had folks get engaged, folks who first met here.” With endless topping and flavor combinations, BerryLine caters to all audiences—families, friends, and even firefighters, a group of whom come in almost every night!
Fostering a feeling of connectedness around a shared love of tart yogurt may seem unexpected, but since its opening in 2007, BerryLine has adopted a number of fun ways to engage with local customers. One example is its longstanding tradition of punch cards: for every ten frozen yogurt-shaped stamps on a BerryLine punch card, customers earn a free ice cream or yogurt of their choice to honor their commitment to the shop. As customers acquire stamps each visit, the excitement builds for the next visit as they reach the coveted final swirl. Another BerryLine tradition is giving out free tart frozen yogurt to every dog that comes in the shop, featured on our @dogsofberryline Instagram account. Watching the dogs devour this special treat on a hot day always draws a crowd of “aww”-ing onlookers.
During the pandemic, Wallace has learned to cater to the same crowds without exposing guests to COVID-19. Since reopening in April 2021, BerryLine has operated on a single-customer basis, serving only one party at a time while the line snakes out the door on busy days. The interior of the stores are usually a lively space filled with customers on barstools; these days they remain largely empty. However, we’ve recently expanded to accept more online orders through our website or through Doordash, UberEats, and Postmates. “We happen to have a business that is already geared towards takeout,” says Wallace. “A lot of restaurants didn’t benefit from that, they didn’t have the ability to shut down all the seating but still serve customers. We were able to do that, and so in that way we were very lucky.” Like any small business, the pandemic has caused a decline in revenue, but Wallace says, “It honestly could have been a lot worse.” In large part, BerryLine’s resilience during the pandemic can be attributed to its devoted customer base.
Aside from its proximity to Harvard’s campus, BerryLine has developed a community that overlaps with Harvard’s in many ways. Arrow Street shop is a well-known meeting spot for professors looking to sweeten up their day after long hours at work. Even Pulitzer prize-winning Professor Stephen Greenblatt could often be found pre-pandemic with BerryLine in hand, and hopes to return once in-person classes resume in the fall! Harvard students can’t get enough of the shop, either; in addition to hiring many Harvard students as employees over the past thirteen years, BerryLine has become a favorite spot for Peer Advising Fellows (PAFs) introducing new first-years to the area and inaugurating their Havard experience.
Consequently, BerryLine has become a locus for connection across classes at Harvard. When customers arrive in Harvard gear or accidently take out their Harvard ID rather than their debit card, I start up a conversation. I’ve met so many classmates that I wouldn’t have otherwise gotten the chance to connect with due to the pandemic’s constraints on socializing. Being able to connect with other first-years from behind the glass case and rows of decadent toppings certainly beats bonding from behind the Zoom camera! I’m also pleasantly surprised by the number of friends who stop in to say hi while I’m on shift—a reminder of the unexpected connections that can be made even during a time of limited interaction.
One customer stands out from the rest. Harvard student Haeyun Lee ’21 has made it her mission to buy BerryLine’s frozen yogurt every day before she graduates, documenting her daily confections on Instagram (@haeyunatberryline). “I believe it is the duty of a good friend to introduce their friends to BerryLine,” Lee says. “It’s been fun to see them become big fans as well.” She is an integral part of the BerryLine community on both the consumer and administrative sides; her passion speaks to the affinity felt between both sides of the counter. “Because I’ve been coming everyday, I’ve been trying to get to know the names of everyone who works there, and some of them have started following my account!” Lee says. She has even taken on publicity roles, designing BerryLine t-shirts and merchandise which we hope to feature in our stores soon. Wallace recently gifted Lee with a $100 gift card to sponsor her daily froyo fix and reward her loyalty.
The story of BerryLine illuminates the unpredictable nature of career paths. A frozen yogurt business was not Wallace’s original plan—he went from working in research labs to cooking in the Mass Ave kitchen—but it became a central aspect of his life. “It’s like one of those life lessons—you have that thought as a five-year-old, ten-year-old, twenty-year-old, of where your career is heading, and you just don’t know what’s around the corner,” he says. Wallace suggests that what you study isn’t always indicative of your future. For Harvard students, this lesson is particularly salient; we are often shoved into a one-sided conception of what our career must look like. In reality, all the stress of finals, summer internships, thesis papers, and concentration requirements melt away when you’re pursuing something you truly love—even if it’s independent of your academic pursuits.
Carli Cooperstein ’24 (carlicooperstein@college.harvard.edu) always opts for the homemade Oreo cheesecake topping.