From Water to Flour... 'Dunkin Wonders' Is a Collection of 80 Years of Know-How

Dunkin's 30 Years in Korea, Launches Premium Concept
First Store Dunkin Wonders Cheongdam... Nationwide Expansion Planned
New Production and Delivery System Established... Increasing Handmade Donuts

"Dunkin Wonders is a technological innovation project where SPC Group's nearly 80 years of accumulated food research and development (R&D) capabilities meet artificial intelligence (AI)."

Heo Hee-su, Vice President of SPC, is explaining the new concept at the Wonders Project unveiling event held on the 10th at Dunkin Wonders Cheongdam in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

On the afternoon of the 10th, Heo Hee-soo, Vice President of SPC Group, said this at the 'Wonders' project unveiling event held at Dunkin Wonders Cheongdam on Dosan-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Wonders is the project name introduced by SPC Dunkin to commemorate its 30th anniversary of entering the domestic market. It collectively refers to newly developed premium concept products, categories, and stores under the English word meaning 'wonder.'

This is an attempt to add sophistication and freshness to a brand that has aged over a long period to attract younger consumers. Vice President Heo emphasized, "Through Wonders, Dunkin will once again leap forward as a brand that can surprise customers," adding, "This experience will also connect to the franchise stores, which are the foundation of our business."

Signature donuts sold at Dunkin Wonders Cheongdam

"Two years of research for new textures and flavors... even producing our own flour"

The products applying the Dunkin Wonders concept are ▲Wondernut ▲32 Layers ▲Puff. Wondernut is an American-style cake donut resembling the texture of pound cake and muffins, offering a dense yet moist texture. 32 Layers is made with 32-layer croissant dough, delivering a crispy and rich texture. Puff is a fresh donut filled with filling, made chewy and soft using SPC Group's fermentation science technology.

Park Moon-hyung, team leader of Dunkin Donuts & Food Development Team, explained, "To provide Dunkin's unique new texture and flavor, we conducted two years of research, producing our own flour and sourcing starch from various materials such as tapioca and corn."

At Dunkin Wonders, you can also enjoy low-sugar donuts with minimized sugar content. Team leader Park said, "Instead of sugar, we used optimally blended alternative sweeteners to make the donut fillings and used natural ingredients like pumpkin to provide the most natural sweetness possible."

The first store applying the Dunkin Wonders concept is Dunkin Wonders Cheongdam. Targeting mainly the 25-39 age group who enjoy trendy spaces, it opened on the 12th on Dosan-daero, a youthful commercial area. At Dunkin Wonders Cheongdam, a 'Tasting Note' explaining the taste of Wonders donuts is provided, and a curation sheet recommending donuts according to preferences is also available.

Dunkin plans to expand Wonders stores starting with Dunkin Wonders Cheongdam. First, the Wonders concept will be applied to the existing specialized stores, Dunkin Gangnam Live and Dunkin Busan Station Ramada branch.

Dunkin Wonders Cheongdam Store

Introducing new manufacturing and delivery system 'Hub and Spoke'... increasing the proportion of handmade donuts over factory-made ones

Dunkin is introducing a new manufacturing and delivery system called 'Hub and Spoke' through Wonders. Until now, most donuts were produced in factories and delivered to stores, but going forward, the plan is to increase the proportion of premium handmade donuts made at regional hub stores like Wonders and delivered to nearby stores.

Kim Jin-ho, head of Dunkin Business Division at BR Korea, said, "Wonders is the outpost for delicious products," adding, "It will serve as a Dunkin brand flagship store and also as a supply base for Dunkin products." He continued, "Operating hub kitchens in the metropolitan area and Busan has resulted in increased customer satisfaction and store sales," and added, "We plan to establish the Hub and Spoke system in five major metropolitan cities within 2 to 3 years."

Meanwhile, the Wonders project started to innovate the aging Dunkin brand and attract new consumers. It has been 30 years since BR Korea, an SPC affiliate, opened the first Dunkin store in Itaewon in 1994. Currently, there are about 660 Dunkin franchise stores, still the largest in the donut industry, but store openings have stagnated, and competition with new brands is intensifying. BR Korea, which operates Dunkin and Baskin-Robbins, recorded a loss for the first time last year. Dunkin judged that image innovation is necessary for the next 30 years.

Vice President Heo emphasized, "Starting with Dunkin Wonders Cheongdam, we will expand stores and products to show amazing taste and brand innovation."