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Healthier bread for less dough: Paris Baguette's Paran Label aims to change the premium game

Published: 27 Feb. 2025, 16:28 Updated: 27 Feb. 2025, 18:57

CHO YONG-JUN
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Bakery franchise Paris Baguette launched Paran Label series of bread on Feb. 27 at the Shilla Hotel in central Seoul [CHO YONG-JUN]

Bakery franchise Paris Baguette is tapping into the premium bread market with its Paran Label series — aiming to win over the growing number of health-conscious consumers and the expanding healthy diet trend while also offering great-tasting products.

The new lineup is not necessarily just for people with certain dietary restrictions, but also for people "who just want healthy yet tasty bread," Paris Baguette’s vice president of marketing, Kim Yeon-jeong, said during Thursday’s press event at the Shilla Hotel in Jung District, central Seoul.

Paris Baguette's vice president of marketing Kim Yeon-jeong speaks at a press conference held Feb. 27 at the Shilla Hotel in central Seoul [CHO YONG-JUN]

The SPC Group franchise said its target competitors are independent bakeries.

The name of the new lineup derives from the word paran, Korean for "blue," and is divided into four subcategories of products: Paran Label Nordic, Paran Label pan loaf, Paran Label morning roll and Paran Label sandwich.

The Nordic line of bread, in particular, consists of low-sugar whole grain sourdough bread, whole grain bread, multigrain rye bread and cranberry rye bread.

“We wanted to strike a balance between taste and nutrition, so we focused on increasing the protein and dietary fiber content,” SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology Deputy Director Shim Sang-min said. “Breads in general are not high in sodium content, and we will also be looking into more ‘zero sugar’ offerings.”

Paris Baguette emphasized that the Paran Label series of products utilizes SPC x Helsinki sourdough developed through a collaboration with the University of Helsinki using a multigrain sourdough created using SPC Group’s own technology.

“It’s actually not as expensive as the bread sold in smaller, European bakeries [in Korea], but it is premium in the sense that we have raised the bar,” Paris Baguette’s vice president of marketing said.

Kim argued that Paran Label breads, priced at 4,900 won ($3.40) to 5,900 won, are comparably cheaper than similar products sold by premium neighborhood bakeries, adding that the strength of the Paran Label came from the consistency of the taste and quality of the breads.

“Our system — the fact that you can taste the same quality of bread anytime, anywhere — is something local bakeries cannot copy,” Kim said. “It’s not easy to offer the same quality in all 3,400 [Paris Baguette] stores.”

“We are the No. 1 bakery franchise in Korea, [and] we also have a leading position overseas, so we are not in the position to really worry about the competition,” the marketing vice president said.

The sample pieces of Paran Label bread given to reporters at the event were indeed tasty, and softer than most whole-grain bread on the market. The marketing vice president also told the Korea JoongAng Daily that the internal reception of the new lineup was “very positive.”

Bakery franchise Paris Baguette launched Paran Label series of bread on Feb. 27 at the Shilla Hotel in central Seoul [CHO YONG-JUN]

“We went on a product tour across the country last week to showcase the new products to our [franchise] partners, and 95 percent of our partners have decided to order the new series,” she said.

The Paran Label breads will first hit the Korean market on Thursday, with hopes of expanding to overseas markets in the future.

“We have an ambition to launch it in overseas markets, I really hope we’ll have the opportunity to market a brand that contains a Korean word,” Paris Baguette’s marketing vice president said. “But we first have to be successful in the Korean market.”