[Distribution Hot People] Overwhelming Cream 'Yonsei Cream Bread'... Thanks to Nationwide Bread Pilgrimage

Kim So-yeon, Product Planner of CU Snack Food Team
4 Million Units Sold in Half a Year
CU Dessert Sales Ranked 1st to 3rd
Targeting 10 Million Units Sold This Year

Kim So-yeon, Product Planner (MD) of CU Snack Food Team, is introducing Yonsei Cream Bread.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] "I went on a pilgrimage visiting bakeries nationwide. I visited about 10 places in each region such as Seoul, Ulsan, and Jinju, and I collected data on how many places sell cream bread and took photos as well."

On the afternoon of the 13th, Kim So-yeon, a product planner (MD) of the CU Snack Food Team, whom I met at the BGF Retail headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, said, "I originally worked in the product development team for three years, and at that time, I was in charge of bread development. The knowledge I gained about raw materials then was very helpful. In this product's case, putting a lot of cream in the bread can cause it to burst, but I utilized the experience from factory testing."

The Yonsei Cream Bread series surpassed 4 million cumulative sales within six months of its launch. Looking at CU's dessert sales rankings last month, the top three were all Yonsei Cream Bread (Milk, Choco, Red Bean). Kim MD explained, "Yonsei Cream Bread was not an instant hit from the start. Sales really took off after we added Melon Cream Bread in June. Currently, orders are coming from all stores, exceeding 2 to 3 times the initial expectations. Because of this, order quantity restrictions are in place."

The secret to Yonsei Cream Bread's popularity is the abundant amount of cream. Kim MD said, "It's a common menu item, but we wanted to make a proper product. We aimed to show an overwhelming amount of cream, and word of mouth started spreading that the cover image and the actual product are exactly the same. Also, it has received good reviews for maintaining a soft texture without becoming dry even when stored in the refrigerator."

In fact, this product caused a big sensation on social media (SNS) by posting ‘ban-gal-shot’ (half-cut shot). Kim MD said, "Usually, people don’t review convenience store bread much, but the ban-gal-shot made everyone recognize the amount of cream. Generally, dessert sales drop significantly after 2 to 3 months, but sales are still increasing now," she emphasized.

Going forward, the Yonsei Cream Bread series plans to continuously increase the number of products. Kim MD stated, "We are currently operating four products and preparing others. Just as we released Melon Cream Bread targeting the summer season, we are developing flavors suitable for autumn and winter." The goal for this year is to surpass 10 million sales of Yonsei Cream Bread. Kim MD said, "At this pace, it seems quite possible. We need to stabilize supply first and are also considering expanding the factory line. I hope Yonsei Cream Bread becomes a long-lasting product."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.