# A Twosome Place

A Twosome Place (Korean: 투썸플레이스), is a premium dessert cafe and coffee franchise in South Korea. It was founded in 2002 in Sinchon and operates more than 1,640 stores nationwide as of the end of 2023. After launching the franchise business in 2008, CJ Foodville's coffee division was spun off and incorporated in February 2018, and was acquired by US private equity firm Carlyle Group in 2021.

## Meaning of A Twosome Place

A Twosome Place’s brand name means a pleasant place to enjoy a small luxury. 'A CUP OF COFFEE' (with a warm cup of coffee), 'TWO' OF US' (with us), 'SOME' DESSERT (with differentiated desserts that are pleasing to the eye and mouth), and 'PLACE' (a happy space where you can enjoy small luxuries).

## About

It started with the launch of the A Twosome Place (투썸플레이스) brand in 2002, and started the franchise business in 2009. In 2010, it achieved 100 chain stores. 2011 opened its first new franchise in China, not in Korea. Twosome Place has had nearly 100 franchises each year and opened its first complex store in Ridu, China's in 2012. In 2016, the company opened the 'Roastery cafe', a flagship store for modern people who can enjoy special coffee and dessert, as well as a place to see the process of roasting beans and making Cold Brew.
At present, it has 1,000 stores in Korea and 45 overseas stores. It ranks No. 1 in profits at Korean franchises except Starbucks.
Except for Starbucks, which operates only direct stores, Twosome Place's sales are ranked No. 1 in Korean cafe sales. In addition, since the introduction of TWG in 2014, sales have increased by more than 60%. In addition, a total of 180 billion won in overseas investment was realized by raising 50 billion won through the issuance of new shares after selling 130 billion won in shares to ordinary shares in February 2018.

## History

It started with the launch of the A Twosome Place (투썸플레이스) brand in 2002, and started the franchise business in 2008. In 2010, the brand surpassed the 100th store and renewed its BI. Over the past 20 years, it has established itself as a leading brand in the domestic coffee specialty store market with a differentiated concept that allows customers to enjoy coffee and desserts together. Since its launch, the brand has attracted attention by offering premium desserts such as macaroons and tiramisu along with high-quality coffee, and is still leading the way as a dessert café. In 2018, the brand surpassed 1,000 stores and has more than 1,640 stores in Korea as of the end of 2023.
* 2002: The first Twosome Place opened in Sinchon, Korea
* 2008: Started franchise business
* 2010: The 100th store opened
* 2014: Launched the industry’s first ‘bean dualization service’
* 2016: Opened the 1st Drive-Thru store
* February 2018: CJ Foodville sold its 40% stake in CJ Foodville after establishing A Twosome Place corporation
* November 2018: Merged with affiliated company Mimi (bread and confectionery manufacturer) and acquired Jeong-eup Dessert Plant (Awesome Dessert Plant)
* April 2019: Hong Kong-based private equity firm Anchor Equity Partners acquired an additional 45% stake in CJ Foodville
* May 2019: Renewal of 'Black Ground' and 'Aroma Note' beans
* June 2019: Inauguration of CEO Lee Young-young
* April 2020: Introduced SWP decaffeinated beans
* June 2020: Anchor Equity Partners acquired 15% of CJ Foodville's remaining stake
* July 2021: Renewal of brand app and membership service 'Twosome Hearts'
* November 2021: Acquired by US private equity firm Carlyle Group
* July 2022: Completed the Awesome Pairing Plant, a production plant specializing in coffee and desserts
* July 2023: Moon Young-joo takes over as CEO

## Products

COFFEE
A Twosome Place selects only the freshest coffee beans from premium origins, curated by their Q-Grader. The beans are then crafted into three distinct blends, each with its unique character.
A Twosome Place offers three unique blends: Black Ground, Aroma Note, and SWP Decaf. Black Ground is dark roasted for a deep, rich, and chocolaty flavor, while Aroma Note is fruity and floral with minimal flavor loss for a lighter body and fresher taste than Black Ground. The company also offers SWP Decaffeinated, which uses the Swiss Water Process (SWP) method of decaffeinating green coffee beans by soaking them in clean water without using chemicals.
DESSERT
A Twosome Place’s dessert selection includes cakes, macarons, chocolates, and ice cream. Their desserts include cakes, macarons, chocolates, and ice cream. The cakes are available in whole cakes as well as slices. Among them, the signature flavors are S'choseng (Strawberry Chocolate Cake) and A-bak (Ice Box). S’choseng has sold 10 million pieces in the 10 years since its launch in 2014. The A-bak (Ice Box) is an American homemade-style cake with layers of mascarpone cream and black cookies, which was launched in 2015 and popularized the concept of ‘scooping cake' in the Korean dessert industry.
TWG TEA
Recognizing the growing demand for tea among its 2040 customers, A Twosome Place secured an exclusive partnership with TWG, the first of its kind in the coffee specialty store industry. Based in Singapore, TWG is a premium tea brand, domestically sold in limited venues such as 5-star hotels and luxury department stores. A Twosome Place offers Earl Grey, Mint, Chamomile, Cream Caramel(Rooibos), and Black Tea.

## Sales Status

In 2017, A Twosome Place opened the most stores among large coffee shops in Korea. From 2016 to 2018, the number of stores increased from 798 to 950, a total of 152 stores. According to a survey at the end of 2015, A Twosome Place had the highest average annual sales per franchisee among the ten companies surveyed, at 483 million won. In addition, sales have expanded by more than 60% since the introduction of TWG in 2014. Even during COVID-19, the company posted growth in operating profit and net profit of 5% and 3%, respectively, in 2020, compared to Starbucks, whose operating profit decreased during the same period. In July 2022, the company invested approximately 40 billion won to build the Awesome Pairing Plant in Eumseong, Chungcheongbuk-do, with automated production lines for coffee roasting and desserts. Based on aggressive investment and marketing activities, the company posted its best-ever performance in 2023, with sales up 12.1 percent and operating profit up 19.3 percent, despite intense competition in the café industry.