Baskin Robbins' Double Celebration

By Mommy Donna and Kib - October 14, 2015

Kib and I both love ice cream. We consider it as our comfort food. Whenever I feel stressed, I eat ice cream. Ice cream gives me an instant relief. When the weather is hot, ice cream makes me feel cool.

When I was invited to Baskin Robbins event last September 30th, I got so excited. I got to know Baskin Robbins from Andrew E.'s song 'Alabang Girls'. I had the first taste of Baskin Robbins ice cream last year during the Easter event at Greenbelt 3 (see post here). I missed eating Baskin Robbins since then! Baskin Robbins first opened their branch in the Philippines at BGC last year.

Banana Split Junior Scoop

Banana Split Pint

Banana Split Quart

The recent Baskin Robbins event was a double celebration for the company. It marked the first year of operations in the Philippines and at the same time, celebrated the 70th year of the company since its birth in California in 1945. With these two important milestones for the company, the management got inspired to launch the BR 31 Smiles Project--a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) campaign providing free cleft lip reconstructive surgery to 31 children in partnership with the renowned charitable foundation, Operation Smile.

BR 31 Smiles Project is a campaign intended to bring back the smiles of children with cleft lip and cleft palate through free reconstructive surgery, funded by Baskin Robbins Philippines. The number 31 is symbolic of the brand's heritage as it is known for carrying 31 flavors of ice cream at any given time--one for every day of the month. The amount needed for the 31 surgeries was raised through various promotions at the store level as well as special selling events.

Baskin Robbins team together with some of the beneficiaries of the BK 31 Smiles Project

Michael Dargani, president of IceDream, Inc., the company that exclusively operates Baskin Robbins in the Philippines said, "This is a very special celebration of two important anniversaries. We'd like to express our deepest thanks to our loyal customers for supporting the brand throughout its first year in the Philippines. In line with our commitment to serving fun and smiles for seven decades, Baskin Robbins is truly proud to welcome the 31 beneficiaries of our BR 31 Smiles Project."

Anne Gonzales, vice chairman of Operation Smile Philippines, expressed her utmost gratitude at Baskin Robbins for giving this wonderful project. "Your BR 31 Smiles Project has not only brought back the smiles of 31 children but also helped their families and restored the enthusiasm and happiness of these wonderful kids," she added.

A Touching Story

One of the beneficiaries of the cleft lip surgery is Wivina 'Vina' Marie Maninang, a 5-year old child. Due to her cleft lip condition, Vina was unaccepted by other children in her community. She was often bullied by the children in their community because of her different look. Under the BR 31 Smiles Project, Vina was selected by Operation Smile to undergo free reconstructive surgery at Sta. Ana Hospital. Many have witnessed Vina's touching story in the YouTube video created by Baskin Robbins at the start of their campaign in June 2015.

Wivina Marie Maninang after the surgery

"Kitang-kita ko po ang malaking pagbabago sa aking anak na si Vina pagkatapos ng maoperahan sya," Maritess Maninang, Vina's mom said on the YouTube video. "Kung dati po na madalas siyang umiiyak sa akin kapag natutukso ng mga kalaro nya, ngayon po ay mas lumakas ang loob nya na harapin ang mga ito," Maritess added.

Vina's dreams of becoming a professional dancer someday. Now that she has been given a brand new smile, there is no stopping her from making this dream a reality.

Baskin Robbins' New Products

During the event, Baskin Robbins also launched a new lineup of indulgent Cookie Sundaes, premium Baskin Robbins ice cream paired with warm, chewy cookies and topped with sundae toppings. Starting October 2015, guests can create indulgent sundaes customized to their liking by choosing a selection of warm and chewy White Chunk Macadamia, Dark Chocolate Chunk and Double Fudge Cookies to serve with up to two of their favorite Baskin Robbins ice cream flavors. The Warm Cookie Ice Cream Sundae can be topped with hot fudge, praline caramel sauce, candy pieces, cookie pieces, whipped cream and cherries.

Kib enjoying a sample of Baskin Robbin's Cookie Sundae

About Baskin Robbins

Over the past 70 years, Baskin Robbins has brought its famous 31 ice cream flavors to the world. While the brand started as a neighborhood ice cream shop in California in 1945, it now has more than 7,500 locations in nearly 50 countries worldwide.

Baskin Robbins was founded by two ice cream enthusiasts and brothers-in-law who shared a dream to create an innovative ice cream shop that would be a neighborhood gathering place for families. Over 300 million people visit Baskin Robbins each year to sample from more than 1,200 flavor creations available in its ice cream library. Baskin Robbins offers guests around the world a wide range of hard scoop ice cream flavors, along with custom ice cream cakes, delicious frozen beverages, ice cream sundaes and take-home frozen treats.

For more information about Baskin Robbins, log on to www.baskinrobbins.ph or check out their Facebook account (facebook.com/baskinrobbinsph), Twitter, and Instagram (@baskinrobbinsph) accounts. You can also visit Baskin Robbins shops at Central Square, Bonifacio Global City, Greenbelt 5 and Glorietta 5 in Makati, Fairview Terraces and Trinoma Mall in Quezon City.