A Ding adinglily@hotmail.com DO you want to eat the ice cream that former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife had on their first date? Well, luckily for you it is available right here in Shenzhen. The ice cream so favored by the Obamas as well as many other celebrities is none other than Baskin-Robbins. There are two Baskin-Robbins in Shenzhen, one in Sea World in Nanshan District and the other in Coco City in Longhua District. Donson Zhan is the owner of the Baskin-Robbins in Sea World. He got to know the brand for the first time in 2011 when he took a trip to Shanghai and his friends invited him to the ice cream shop. “When I looked at the dozens of flavors, I couldn’t decide what to have. Fortunately, the waiter helped me by picking several flavors for me to try after consulting my preferences. At last, I picked strawberry cheesecake, which is my favorite flavor even now,” Zhan said. After the unforgettable experience in Shanghai, Zhan became quite interested in Baskin-Robbins. “I went to the official website of Baskin-Robbins and found that the brand originated in California. And that customers could try all the flavors in the shop until they found the one they loved. However, among the introductions, the slogan ‘we make people happy’ left me with the deepest impression,” Zhan recalled. Touched by the idea that Baskin-Robbins brings happiness to their customers, Zhan decided to open his own ice cream shop so he could deliver happiness to his friends, customers as well as hardworking clerks. And on Christmas day of 2013, his ice cream shop officially opened. One of Baskin-Robbins key ideologies is that people should be able to sample flavors until they find the one they want to buy. And to the tune of that idea, the company has introduced more than 1,000 flavors since 1945. “A variety of ice cream flavors is one of the most evident features of our brand. Our company is known for its ‘31 flavors’ slogan, with the idea that a customer could have a different flavor every day of any month. We also designed special flavors for different groups of people, such as marshmallow-flavored ice cream for children and low-fat sugar-free ice cream for people who are concerned about their health,” Zhan expressed. On one of the shop’s walls they have the history of Baskin-Robbins displayed. “From 1945 until now, our brand has developed many classical flavors and we hope that the wall can enable our customers to know more about our history,” Zhan said. Baskin-Robbins is the world’s largest ice cream restaurant chain. It has nearly 7,600 retail shops in 50 countries. Based in Canton, Massachusetts, it was founded in 1945 by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins in Glendale, California. | 