Pilsen froyo startup Mikono hits pause on storefront after one week, citing staggering demand

First publishedJul 22, 19:14 UTC

Last updatedJul 22, 22:01 UTC · 11m ago

119:14–19:20 UTC1 outletChicago Sun-Times

19:1419:5620:3821:2022:01

Chicago Sun-Times6Pilsen froyo startup Mikono hits pause on storefront after one week, citing staggering demandJul 22, 19:14 UTCOpen ↗

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<p>Just one week after its <a class="Link" href="https://www.wbez.org/food-drink/2026/07/13/mikono-chicago-froyo-frozen-yogurt-pilsen-nathalie-del-valle-maya-matta" target="_blank" ><u>splashy residency debut </u></a>inside Pilsen’s <a class="Link" href="https://latinasweatproject.com/?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=23948812268&amp;gbraid=0AAAABDBMwxWi_20_xH0Fi-JRXrv2zIhY1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjw1IHTBhAaEiwA4AYNFtJvs2EOBNHWeSK9JHmWENJkR3ZDL9WDzxHN7Nft8mOnYGtnz-WKqxoCIm4QAvD_BwE" target="_blank" ><u>The Latina Sweat Project</u></a>, popular Greek frozen yogurt startup <a class="Link" href="https://www.mikonofroyo.com/" target="_blank" ><u>Mikono</u></a> is pausing to shore up operations as its founders manage staggering demand for their product.</p><p>The first day of opening, last Monday, brought lines down the block.</p><p>Cofounders Nathalie Del Valle and Maya Matta, both of whom work full time in tech sales to fund their froyo pursuit, hope to open a permanent storefront in Lincoln Park later this year at 2300 N. Clark St.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center> <div class="Enhancement-item" data-crop=""> <figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-920000" name="image-920000"></a> <picture data-crop="medium"> <source type="image/webp" width="490" height="275" data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ec88a7e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7574x4251+0+401/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F78%2Fc9%2F5a9ad93840e3ba80d4e2e0f7182b%2Fmikonofroyo-260714-029.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d046151/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7574x4251+0+401/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F78%2Fc9%2F5a9ad93840e3ba80d4e2e0f7182b%2Fmikonofroyo-260714-029.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" /> <source width="490" height="275" data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c307b87/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7574x4251+0+401/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F78%2Fc9%2F5a9ad93840e3ba80d4e2e0f7182b%2Fmikonofroyo-260714-029.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" /> <img class="Image" alt="A line of eager customers at Mikono in Pilsen on Monday, July 13, 2026." srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c307b87/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7574x4251+0+401/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F78%2Fc9%2F5a9ad93840e3ba80d4e2e0f7182b%2Fmikonofroyo-260714-029.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c43d40c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7574x4251+0+401/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F78%2Fc9%2F5a9ad93840e3ba80d4e2e0f7182b%2Fmikonofroyo-260714-029.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275" data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c307b87/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7574x4251+0+401/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F78%2Fc9%2F5a9ad93840e3ba80d4e2e0f7182b%2Fmikonofroyo-260714-029.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" > </picture> <div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>A line of eager customers at Mikono in Pilsen on Monday, July 13, 2026.</p></figcaption><span class="line"></span><div class="Figure-credit"><p>Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times</p></div></div> </figure> </div> </div><p>“We made the tough call to step back from our residency at the Latina Sweat Project because demand simply outgrew the space,” Del Valle said in an email. “Between our lines and the studio's own classes, it became difficult for both operations to thrive side by side.”</p><p>The indie brand's rise has been meteoric. Citing a lack of healthy grab-and-go froyo options, the best friends started Mikono early this year after perfecting their recipe for high-quality frozen Greek yogurt with fresh tropical fruit, grown on and shipped to Chicago from a Miami farm.

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  Pilsen froyo startup Mikono hits pause on storefront after one week, citing staggering demand

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  Chicago Sun-TimesJul 22, 19:14

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