PACIFIC BEACH – A new competitor has appeared in the soft serve market: An ice cream shop in Pacific Beach Marketplace called Brites.

Located at 4315 Mission Blvd., Brites has taken over the space in the suite previously occupied by a tea shop and shares space in the underground parking structure anchored by Ralphs. 

Brites Soft Serve is the shared vision of brothers Sihao and Sibo Yan, whose establishment offers a variety of low-calorie and vegan options, including unique flavors like hazelnut and matcha. The shop features a self-serve setup with fun flavors and sampling cups.

Times of San Diego held a Q&A with the Yan brothers to find out how they ended up with a PB soft serve shop that they say is “redefining dessert with high-quality ingredients and innovative recipes.”

TOSD: Tell us about your background and how you got involved in this business.

YANS: We grew up in San Diego, spending most of our lives involved with sports and an active lifestyle. I attended Cathedral Catholic High School and the University of San Diego, while Sibo went to Torrey Pines High School. Both of us have always wanted to work together and have been passionate about building something local, community-driven, with a strong emphasis on quality that we would be proud of.

Brites was born out of something we were looking for, which was that dessert shouldn’t be an occasional guilt — it should fit into everyday life without compromising taste.

TOSD: Are you a franchisee?

YANS: No, our location in Pacific Beach is our first store. We built the brand, recipes, and systems ourselves from the ground up. There were and are a lot of long hours, but it’s great that we get to work with each other.

TOSD: What distinguishes your soft serve?

YANS: Brites is a low-calorie, low-carb, soft serve that is flavored in-house daily. We use true California milk, no seed oils and food coloring, and flavor our soft serve with real ingredients rather than syrups or anything artificial. Our goal is indulgence you can enjoy regularly.

TOSD: What is the difference between yogurt and ice cream?

YANS: People always ask us if Brites is ice cream or yogurt, and the answer is technically neither. We would call it ice cream, but our product is fat-free, so we legally cannot market it as ice cream. Thus, we went with soft serve rather than “light ice cream.” Brites is not yogurt since our product is not fermented with live “cultures.”

TOSD: Tell us about your self-serve process.

YANS: Our self-serve model puts the experience in the customer’s hands. Guests have a great time customizing their personal bowl. They select the flavors, control their portion, and fill whatever toppings they like. You pay by weight, which makes it transparent, customizable, and fun — whether you want a simple swirl or a fully loaded creation.

We also have a unique item called the Brizzy, where we use a specialized machine to blend the soft serve/toppings. Our take on the Blizzard or McFlurry. We are working hard to roll out take-home pints for people’s convenience, as well as a soft serve cake that groups can enjoy at gatherings or special occasions.

TOSD: Tell us about your experimentation with flavors.

YANS: Flavor development is a huge part of Brites and something we enjoy greatly. We constantly test, tweak, and refine recipes to balance taste, texture, and nutrition. Apart from testing it ourselves, we rope in our friends and family, who are most definitely not afraid to show their disapproval. From classics like Italian Chocolate and Madagascar Vanilla to more creative and seasonal drops, every flavor goes through extensive R&D before hitting the machines.

We also love rotating limited-time flavors to keep things exciting and give customers something new to look forward to. Our newest flavor, which we released this past weekend, is a festive Apple Pie soft serve. We also offer 10 unique flavors. 

TOSD: What are your hours?

YANS: Our hours are noon-11 p.m. on Sundays-Thursdays, noon-11:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays.

READ NEXT