KB News Desk
US ice cream brand Van Leeuwen is making its debut in South Korea, opening its first store near Gangnam Station on Friday as the Brooklyn-born company looks to tap into one of Asia’s most influential food markets.
The 32-seat shop, operated by franchise partner A Twosome Place, pays homage to the brand’s origins through a display of the yellow ice cream truck from which founders Ben Van Leeuwen, his brother Peter and their partner Laura O’Neill launched the business in New York in 2008.
“We believe our product matches the Korean palate incredibly well, one of the most discerning in the world,” founder and CEO Ben Van Leeuwen said at a media event Thursday, adding that the company plans to introduce flavors tailored to Korean consumers over time.
Van Leeuwen built its reputation as a super premium brand by emphasizing simple recipes made with milk, cream, eggs, sugar and salt rather than artificial stabilizers. The company has also been a pioneer in dairy-free offerings, helping bring vegan ice cream into the mainstream with products made from coconut and cashews.
The Seoul launch features 24 flavors, four of them vegan, alongside American staples such as sundaes and milkshakes. The Korean stores will import the same products sold in the US, giving customers an unfiltered taste of the New York scoop-shop experience.
A Twosome Place, which signed a master franchise agreement with Van Leeuwen earlier this year, plans to open two additional Seoul locations this month at Shinsegae Gangnam and near Sinnonhyeon Station. Its immediate focus, the company said, is less on rapid expansion than on establishing a new super-premium segment in Korea’s ice cream market.
“Van Leeuwen’s headquarters sees Korea as a country that leads consumer trends across the region, which is why it was selected as the brand’s first Asian market,” a company official said. “Success here will be a prerequisite for broader expansion throughout Asia.”
