Binggrae Co., Ltd. (), is a South Korean multinational food and beverage corporation that manufactures

ice cream Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as Chocolate, cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food ...

, milk products, and snacks. Binggrae was founded in 1967 by Hong Soon-ji as Daeil Corporation (). The B in the Binggrae Logo is modeled after a heart.

History

1960–1999

Hong Soon-ji () founded Daeil Corporation on 13 September 1967. Hong had founded the company with experience from making ice cream in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

and selling it to the

U.S. military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except th ...

in the 1960s. In 1971, Hong changed the name of the company to Daeil Dairy. In 1972, Daeil Dairy made a technological partnership with Foremost McKesson Inc., a company based in the United States. Due to handling issues, the Korea Explosives Group (later known as the

Hanwha Group Hanwha Group () is a large business conglomerate (chaebol) in South Korea. Founded in 1952 as Korea Explosives Co. (), the group has grown into a large multi-profile business conglomerate, with diversified holdings stretching from explosivesthei ...

) acquired Daeil Dairy in 1973. Donong Plant 1 was also completed in

Namyangju Namyangju (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. To the east is Gapyeong County, to the west is Guri, and to the north is Pocheon. Namyangju was originally a southern part of Yangju-gun, but was separated into Namyangju-gun in April ...

in 1973. In 1974, Binggrae's first mainstream products were released. (투게더), the first carton ice cream product made from raw milk in Korea was released in January of that year, and Banana Flavored Milk (바나나 맛 우유), a milk beverage was released in June. Starting in 1977, Daeil entered the fermented milk business (

yogurt Yogurt (; , from , ; also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial Fermentation (food), fermentation of milk. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to ...

). In 1976, the partnership with Foremost Inc. ended, and the trademark was changed to Binggrae due to the Korean Language Purification Movement. In 1978, Daeil was listed on the

Korea Stock Exchange Korea Exchange (KRX, ) is the sole securities exchange operator in South Korea. It is headquartered in Busan, and has an office for cash markets and market oversight in Seoul. History The Korea Exchange was created through the integration of K ...

. In 1982, Daeil Dairies was then renamed to Binggrae. The

Gimhae Gimhae (, ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, situated near the Nakdong River. It is the seat of the large Gimhae Kim clan, one of the largest Kim (Korean name), Kim clans in Korea, cla ...

Plant was completed in 1982. In 1984, Binggrae made a partnership with

Nissin Foods is a Japanese food company. Founded in 1948 by Momofuku Ando in Izumiōtsu, Osaka, it owns Nissin Food Products, Nissin Chilled Foods, Nissin Frozen Foods, and Myojo Foods. It is known for development of the world's first marketed brand of i ...

to develop instant ramen, subsequently releasing urijib (우리집) ramen in 1986. In 1987, Binggrae opened the Binggrae Food Research Center and was designated as the official ice cream for the

1988 Seoul Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were repres ...

. In 1991, Ssamanco (싸만코), an ice cream version of

bungeo-ppang () is a fish-shaped pastry stuffed with sweetened red bean paste, which originated from the Japanese taiyaki. One of South Korea's most popular winter street foods, the snack is often sold at street stalls, grilled on an appliance similar to ...

that contains red beans was released. Binggrae declared independence from the Hanwha group in 1992. In January of that year, Melona (메로나, Pronounced Merona), a creamy

melon A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. It can also specifically refer to ''Cucumis melo'', commonly known as the "true melon" or simply "melon". The term "melon" can apply to both the p ...

ice cream was released. In 1993, Binggrae was designated as the official ramen and ice cream supplier of the Daejeon Expo.

2000–present

In April 2003, Binggrae made a business alliance with

Samyang Foods Samyang Roundsquare Co., Ltd. () is an international South Korean food manufacturer and the first instant ramen company in South Korea. Samyang was founded on September 15, 1961, by Jeon Jung Yoon. In 1963, Samyang debuted the first Korean insta ...

, and moved its

ramen is a Chinese noodle dish popularized in Japan. It includes served in several flavors of broth. Common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including , nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen h ...

business to

Pulmuone Pulmuone Co., Ltd. () () is a South Korean company that produces plant-based foods such as tofu and soybean sprouts. It was founded in 1981, is based in Seoul, South Korea and sells its products both within Korea as well as internationally. The c ...

in the same month. As of 2010, around 5.3 billion bottles of Banana Flavored Milk have been sold across the country. Binggrae acquired

Haitai Haitai () is a South Korean company based in Seoul. Its main businesses are retail and instant foods, especially confectionery, beverage and ice cream. The company was founded on October 3, 1945, and employs 3900 people at 8 plants in Cheonan ...

Ice Cream Co., Ltd. March 2020. As a result of the acquisition, Binggrae now holds 40.7% of the South Korean Ice cream market, and sales rose 19.6% in 2021 to 1.14 trillion won (US$949 million). Additionally, 70% of South Korean Ice cream exports to the United States were Binggrae products as of 2020. December 2021, Binggrae started working with ramen manufacturer to re-launch their ramen. Binggrae acquired backed by an argument to the Korea Fair Trade Commission that it should greenlight the acquisition proposal because it would block Lotte Confectionery from monopolizing the South Korean ice cream market and raising prices. After the acquisition, Binggrae increased ice cream prices (effectively annulling their promise). Binggrae raised the prices of products such as "Together" and "Melona" by 25 percent. Its rival Lotte Confectionery also increased the prices of some of its products by the same percentage, thus making the ice cream market more expensive. Binggrae justified the price hikes with rising costs of imported materials. The company was fined 135 billion won for price fixing in 2022.

Marketing

In the late 1980s to mid 1990s, Binggrae relied on television advertisements to spread its products. It promoted urijib (우리집) ramen by advertising it as the first ramen to contain

tocopherol Tocopherols (; TCP) are a class of organic compounds comprising various methylated phenols, many of which have vitamin E activity. Because the vitamin activity was first identified in 1936 from a dietary fertility factor in rats, it was named ''t ...

(1986), and promoted its "new" ramen by advertising it as a chemical free ramen (1996). Recently, Binggrae has turned to

Korean idol An idol () is a type of entertainer who works in the field of Korean popular music (K-pop), either as a member of a group or as a solo act. They typically work for an entertainment agency that operates a highly managed star system that idols a ...

s and

actors An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

to promote its products. It promoted "super cone" with the Kpop group

Wanna One Wanna One () was a South Korean boy band formed by CJ E&M through the second season of '' Produce 101''. The group was composed of eleven members: Kang Daniel, Park Ji-hoon, Lee Dae-hwi, Kim Jae-hwan, Ong Seong-wu, Park Woo-jin, Lai Kuan-li ...

in 2018, and estimated its sales would reach 10 billion won in sales by the end of the year, its Banana Flavored Milk with actor

Ju Ji-hoon Ju Ji-hoon (; born May 16, 1982) is a South Korean actor and model. He first gained international recognition with his leading role in the television series '' Princess Hours'' (2006) and has achieved further prominence with the series ''Mask'' ...

in 2021, and its

Yoplait Yoplait ( , ) is a French dessert company and the world's largest franchise brand of yogurt. It is fully owned by the French dairy cooperative Sodiaal since 2021. In North America, the Canadian subsidiary was taken over by Sodiaal in 2025. Th ...

products with actress

Lee Se-young Lee Se-young (; born December 20, 1992) is a South Korean actress. She debuted as a child actress in 1997 and was best known for her roles in '' Dae Jang Geum'' (2003), '' When I Turned Nine'' (2004), ''Lovely Rivals'' (2004), and ''The Wonder ...

starting in 2022. To compete with other food and beverage corporations, Binggrae has created its own "in-universe" with a backstory and characters. According to the

JoongAng Ilbo ''The JoongAng'', formerly known as ''JoongAng Ilbo'' (), is a South Korean daily newspaper published in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the three biggest newspapers in South Korea, and a newspaper of record for South Korea. The paper also pu ...

, Binggrae has made Prince Binggraeus, a character, "the embodiment of Binggrae's identity". Prince Binggraeus is stylized to make parts of his outfit resemble and represent its products. For example, he carries a staff that is partially made of Melona and the tip being their crab snack kkotgerang (꽃게랑). Due to the "in-universe" advertisement campaign, Binggrae became the first South Korean food and beverage company to accumulate over 100,000 subscribers on YouTube.

Main products

Dairy: Banana Flavored Milk (1974), Yoplait (1983), Yoplait Dr. Capsule, Greek Yogurt Yopa, Acaffera, Oprut, True Milk Ice Cream: Together (1974), Melona (1992), (1989), BB Big (1975), (1991), Cledor, Babambar (originally Haitai's), (2004), , Ppongta Snacks: Crab Snack (꽃게랑, 1986) File:Binggrae Banana Flavored Milk 03.jpg, Banana Flavored Milk (and other flavors) File:Melona.jpg, Melona bars out of wrapper File:Outlook of Bung-er Samanco, Carp Ice Waffle.png, Bungeo Samanco

Awards

* Binggrae's Together was selected for the grand prize at the 13th Korea National Brand awards, amounting to it holding this position for 11 consecutive years. * Binggrae placed No. 268 on

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

' "2021 edition of World's Best Employers" * By 2020, Binggrae has held the No.1 in the KCSI (Korean Satisfaction Index) in the ice cream category for 14 consecutive years. * By 2020: 1st place in KBPI brand power for 12 consecutive years (Banana milk) * June 2014: 1st place in the ice cream category for the 5th consecutive year as a safe food company * April 2014: Received the NBA National Brand Awards Together for 3 consecutive years in the ice cream category * March 2014: Awarded the top prize in Gyeongsangnam-do agricultural and fishery products export tower * October 2013: Received the grand prize in the marketing sector at the Korea Management Awards (Korea Management Association Consulting) * September 2012: Ranked 1st in Korea's top safe food company for 3 consecutive years * March 2010: Awarded the Bronze Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit (Taxpayer's Day) * November 2009: Awarded the Transparent Management Grand Prize (selected by the Korea Accounting Information Society) * March 2008: Received the Grand prize of corporate ethics management (by the Korea Academy of Business Ethics) * Dec. 2004: Received the grand prize in the value management by the Korean Academic Society of Business Administration (KMAC) * September 2004: 1st in the National Customer Satisfaction Index (NCSI) (milk, fermented milk sector) * Apr. 2000: Yoplait, Together, ranked 1st in Korea's brand power (Korea Management Association Consulting) * November 1999: Selected as 'Banana Flavored Milk', a product exhibition that brightened Korea in the 20th century President

Lee Myung-bak Lee Myung-bak (; born 19 December 1941), often referred to by his initials MB, is a South Korean businessman and politician who served as the tenth president of South Korea from 2008 to 2013. Before his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engi ...

has mentioned Binggrae as "The food and beverage company Binggrae and the National Pension Service, are taking the initiative and setting a good example in hiring people with disabilities." Binggrae was awarded the presidential commendation at the '2020 Low-Carbon Living Practice Online National Congress' for contributing to carbon neutrality

Subsidiaries

* BC F&B Shanghai Co., Ltd. Founded August 2014 * BC F&B USA Corp. Founded July 2016 * BC F&B Vietnam Co., Ltd. Founded September 2019 * Haitai Ice Cream Co., Ltd. Acquired March 2020

Headquarters and branches

Binggrae has 4 production plants: The Namyangju Plant, Gimhae Plant,

Gwangju Gwangju (; ), formerly romanized as Kwangju, is South Korea's list of cities in South Korea, sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated Special cities of South Korea, metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home ...

Plant, and

Nonsan Nonsan (; ) is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located at . The origin of Nonsan's geographical names is said to have come from the small garden " Nolmoe, " which rises in the middle of farming fields, where rice paddie ...

Plant. * Headquarters: 11-12F, B Building, 19, Seosomun-ro 11-gil,

Jung-gu Jung District (), meaning "Central District", is the name of a ''gu'' (district) in several South Korean cities: *Jung District, Busan *Jung District, Daegu * Jung District, Daejeon * Jung District, Incheon *Jung District, Seoul * Jung District, Ul ...

(Jeong-dong 34–5, Baejaejeong-dong Building), Seoul * Food Research Center and Namyangju Factory: 45 Dasanhwan-ro (

Dasan-dong Dasan-dong () is a '' dong'' (neighborhood) of Jung District, Seoul, South Korea. Transportation * Cheonggu Station of and of * Yaksu Station of and of * Beotigogae Station of See also *Administrative divisions of South Korea South ...

), Namyangju-si,

Gyeonggi-do Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous administrative divisions of South Korea, province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a list of provinc ...

* Gyeonggi Gwangju Factory: 23, Dokgogae-gil 86beon-gil, Gonjiam-eup, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do (Samri) * Nonsan Factory: 1413–9, Dongan-ro, Gayagok-myeon, Nonsan-si,

Chungcheongnam-do South Chungcheong Province (), informally called Chungnam, is a province of South Korea in the Hoseo region in the southwest of the Korean Peninsula. South Chungcheong borders the provinces of Gyeonggi to the north, North Chungcheong, Sejong ...

(Yachon-ri) * Gimhae Factory: 768, Gomoro, Hallim-myeon, Gimhae-si,

Gyeongsangnam-do South Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World Heritage Site Haeinsa, a Buddhist temple that ...

(Byeongdong-ri)

Notes

References

External links

* {{Binggrae South Korean companies established in 1967 Companies listed on the Korea Exchange Food and drink companies of South Korea Manufacturing companies based in Seoul Food and drink companies established in 1967 Food product brands Ice cream brands Dairy products companies of South Korea Multinational dairy companies Multinational food companies Multinational companies headquartered in South Korea