The Fun of Choosing Baskin-Robbins, The Secret of 31 Flavors [Hidden Industry Story]

What Does the Number '31' Mean? "We Will Introduce New Flavors All Month Long"
Baskin-Robbins, a Company Especially Popular in Korea... Second in Number of Stores After the U.S.
Started Delivery Service in Korea in 2016... Sales Surge

Baskin-Robbins store. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] The ice cream brand 'Baskin-Robbins,' which celebrated its 35th anniversary of entering the Korean market, is one of the brands that Koreans have shown exceptional love for.

Launched in Korea in 1985, Baskin-Robbins introduced a variety of ice cream flavors under the title of 'premium ice cream.' However, since the price was 2 to 3 times higher than regular ice cream, many people found it difficult to purchase.

Now, 30 years later, the situation is different. Baskin-Robbins, which has maintained its position as the number one ice cream brand in Korea, earns more than 30% of its global overseas sales from Korea. How did 'Baskin-Robbins,' which captured the Korean palate, come to be?

The symbolic number '31' of Baskin-Robbins, what does it mean?

Baskin-Robbins logo. Photo by Baskin-Robbins

In the 1930s in the United States, Ernie Robbins and his cousin Borton Baskin each worked at their own ice cream shops. Soon after, they enlisted in the military, and World War II broke out.

The two young men used their experience working in ice cream shops to make ice cream with various fruits for their fellow soldiers. This was well received by the soldiers, and after the war ended, the two joined forces to establish an ice cream shop named after themselves. This shop was the origin of Baskin-Robbins.

Along with this, there is a number that has been inseparable from Baskin-Robbins since its early days: '31.' The number '31' is even included in the brand logo, where you can find '3' and '1' in the letters 'B' and 'R,' respectively.

There is a popular belief that the number is used because there are '31' flavors of ice cream sold in stores. However, Baskin-Robbins does not strictly stick to only 31 menu items. The number of ice cream flavors varies by store but is usually between 28 and 32.

So how did the number '31' come about? The meaning of '31' here is 'one month,' symbolizing the idea of offering a new ice cream flavor every day of the month to give customers the fun of choosing. In other words, through the number '31,' they expressed their ambition to present new flavors throughout the entire month.

Baskin-Robbins, a company that thrives especially well in Korea

Baskin-Robbins' ice cream slice cake 'What You Want'. Photo by Baskin-Robbins

Baskin-Robbins is one of the companies that performs exceptionally well in Korea. There are about 1,499 Baskin-Robbins stores in Korea, approximately 400 more than Japan, which has about 1,100 stores. This is the second-largest number of stores after the United States, which has about 2,500 stores.

Especially when dividing the number of stores by the population of each country, you can see how much Koreans love Baskin-Robbins. In the U.S., there is one store per 130,000 people, in Japan one per 110,000 people, whereas in Korea, there is one Baskin-Robbins store per 37,000 people.

However, Baskin-Robbins was not popular from the start. It was first introduced to Korea by SPC Group Chairman Hur Young-in in 1985, and the first store opened in Myeongdong in August 1986.

At that time, Baskin-Robbins was priced 2 to 3 times higher than ice cream sold in supermarkets, which caused some consumer backlash. The prices then were 900 won for a single cone and 3,000 won for a quarter tub.

However, Baskin-Robbins did not give up and built a 'premium image' with thorough quality control and a variety of ice cream flavors. The result was successful. Consumers began to open their wallets for the differentiated taste from existing ice cream.

"My way, to my taste" Consumers cheer for the variety of ice cream flavors

Baskin-Robbins ice cream. Photo by Baskin-Robbins

One reason Baskin-Robbins has achieved such great success in Korea is its 'variety of ice cream flavors.' Baskin-Robbins releases a 'Flavor of the Month' on the first day of every month, offering the fun of choosing. Especially, the 'Dad is Ddalbabong' flavor released as the 'Flavor of the Month' in October last year sold 1 million units within two weeks, making a remarkable achievement.

Another reason the 'Flavor of the Month' has become Baskin-Robbins' unique 'identity' is its 'distinctive product names.' Products like 'Mom is an Alien,' 'You Are Really Dalgona,' and 'Gone with the Wind' are well-known steady sellers. Notably, 'Dad is Ddalbabong' was selected through a naming contest, receiving about 42,000 votes and ranking first.

Using various colors in the ice cream is also one of the popularity factors. The 'Black Sorbet' product, known as 'Yeontan Ice Cream' because both the ice cream and cone are black, was selected as the 'Flavor of the Month' in June last year and gained popularity on social networking services (SNS).

Additionally, flavors like 'Jjon Tteok Gung Hap' (Injeolmi flavor), 'Ice Banana Kick,' and 'Ice Lemona' have been enough to form a dedicated fan base for Baskin-Robbins.

Baskin-Robbins, growing delivery sales

Baskin-Robbins ice cream. Photo by Baskin-Robbins

Recently, Baskin-Robbins' 'delivery service' has been gaining popularity. Since starting delivery service domestically in 2016, Baskin-Robbins' annual delivery sales have grown by about 300% on average.

When delivery service first began in Korea, it was only available in some areas of Seoul, but now it is offered at about 1,400 stores nationwide.

About three years after starting delivery service, Baskin-Robbins surpassed 1 million cumulative delivery orders in January last year, and the proportion of delivery sales in total sales increased from about 3% last year to the 10% range this year.