Mr Bean

A modern Mr Bean branch. Photo from Mothership.

The logo for Mr Bean. Photo from Mr Bean’s website.

Mr Bean is a Singapore-based food & beverage franchise that specialises in soybean products. As of March 2022, the franchise has a total of 69 outlets in Singapore. Mr Bean has also expanded overseas with stores opened in Vietnam and Japan.

Beyond the quintessential soybean milk, Mr Bean offers a variety of soybean-related products on its menu, such as granola bars, pancakes, and tang yuan (glutinous rice balls).

The franchise was founded by Loh Jwee Poh and Kang Puay Seng in 1995.

Background

The original Super Soya Bean Milk & Beancurd stall at People’s Park Hawker Centre. Photo from Mothership.

Origin as Super Soya Bean Milk & Beancurd

The original Super Soya Bean Milk & Beancurd stall at People’s Park Hawker Centre.

In 1995, Mr Bean began as a hawker stall called Super Soya Bean Milk & Beancurd at People’s Park Hawker Centre.

The idea to start a soybean milk and beancurd business originated from Loh Jwee Poh, who saw an opportunity in the market when the device used to manufacture soy milk was miniaturised. This meant that it was possible to serve freshly brewed soy milk round the clock, deviating from the norm of factory-made soy milk delivered to hawker centres.

Loh was initially unable to find supporters for his idea. This changed when he shared the idea with former Chinese High classmate and Army mate Kang Puay Seng, who also acknowledged the market opportunity. The pair then pooled SGD6,000 as their initial capital to start the business.

In a bid to make their business take off, the pair worked both day and night in its early days. While they manned the stall during the day, they distributed discount coupons at nearby residential estates by night.

Loh shared that expectations were kept low at the start:

“We didn’t have any expectations in the beginning. Our primary objective was to survive.”

Mr Bean’s first mall outlet at Hougang Mall. Photo from Mothership.

Expansion into shopping malls and rebranding to Mr Bean

Mr Bean’s first mall outlet at Hougang Mall.

The 1997 Asian Financial Crisis proved to be a boon for Mr Bean’s business, as the closure of many shops afforded the brand the opportunity to expand into local shopping malls.

In 1998, Loh and Kang opened their first mall outlet in Hougang Mall. It was at this point that the brand was renamed to “Mr Bean” and soy pancakes were launched. Loh explained the reasoning behind the rebranding:

“We decided we needed to brand our business – to differentiate ourselves and gain a competitive edge. We realised that the product itself is not enough. That’s why we got focused on branding.”

The “Mr Bean” name was derived from the image of a soybean holding a cup of soya milk and holding up a “No. 1” sign. This image was done in tribute to the brand’s initial pioneering effort to sell freshly brewed soy milk.

Modernisation of the Mr Bean logo and slogan

A modern Mr Bean branch.

In 2005, the original Mr Bean logo began to be perceived as too ‘oriental’ and non-inclusive. As Loh shared:

“We needed to reposition ourselves. We wanted to show that we were a Singaporean brand, rather than a Chinese-Singaporean brand.”

The company thus underwent many rounds of research and interviews with its stakeholders, including on-the-ground staff, business partners, and customers. The result was a “modern and youthful” logo featuring a soybean mascot drawn in freestyle. This was accompanied by the slogan “Life’s Simple Pleasures”.

Departure of Mr Bean co-founder

In 2015, Kang sold his Mr Bean shares to venture into the bubble tea industry. According to Loh, the pair had split on amicable terms, “dissolving their relationship as co-founders” to return to just being friends.

Business growth

Mr Bean co-founder Loh Jwee Poh. Photo from Business Times.

Product innovation

Mr Bean co-founder Loh Jwee Poh.

Mr Bean is well known for its product innovation, periodically introducing new soy products to its menu. This began from the launch of its soy pancakes in 1998, followed by other items like fruity ice-blended drinks, Vietnamese coffee, and even rice and porridge bowls.

Loh describes Mr Bean’s product innovation process as such:

“Change is the only constant. We need to always be prepared to change and to be willing to change in order to stay relevant.”

Mr Bean and Udders’ co-branded cafe in Sentosa. Photo from Marketing Interactive.

Collaboration with local ice cream brand Udders

In 2019, Mr Bean collaborated with local ice cream brand Udders to introduce four flavours of soy ice cream to its menu: Original Soy, Salted Gula Melaka, Oreo Cookie, and Durian.

In the same year, Mr Bean and Udders opened a co-branded cafe at Sentosa’s Beach Station.

Today, Mr Bean’s Udders ice creams are permanent menu additions and available at all stores across Singapore.

豆趣 Do Qoo was opened alongside Mr Bean’s Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ) branch. Photo from Ordinary Patrons.

Inception of dessert spinoff brand Do Qoo

豆趣 Do Qoo was opened alongside Mr Bean’s Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ) branch.

When Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ) opened in 2019, Mr Bean introduced 豆趣 Do Qoo, a new concept that specialises in customisable dessert bowls in its PLQ branch.Do Qoo’s dessert bowls come in three bases: soy pudding, grass jelly, or osmanthus aiyu jelly. Each bowl is topped with Hakka abacus seeds.

BeanMyDay’s logo. Image from BeanMyDay.

Creation of lifestyle portal BeanMyDay

BeanMyDay’s logo

In 2020, Mr Bean launched its lifestyle portal BeanMyDay after the COVID-19 circuit breaker measures were eased. BeanMyDay is separate from Mr Bean’s main website, serving as a portal for customers to use loyalty points and promotion codes. The portal also offers products that are unavailable at Mr Bean’s physical stores.

Overseas expansion

Mr Bean attempted to expand its reach internationally, with branches set up in countries like Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, China, Japan, and South Korea. The brand was unsuccessful in most of these countries and has since ceased operations in them.

According to Loh, the lack of success was due largely to the brand’s use of the franchise business model, which he termed “immature”. He also acknowledged the following factors:

"There were other factors involved as well. Firstly, the capability and experience of our franchisees mattered. Market conditions. And our own ability to manage these franchisees, and transfer the know-how to them. And whether there is chemistry on both sides. These were just some of the reasons we failed."

Today, Mr Bean maintains a small global presence with 12 stores in Vietnam and one store in Japan.

Mr Bean Products

Below is the standard menu of Mr Bean’s offerings, accurate as of 3 March 2022:

Mr Bean Products

Beancurd
Product Name	Price
Classic Soya Milk	$1.70
Grass Jelly Soya Milk	$2.10
Pearly Soya Milk	$2.50
Pearly Bandung Soya Milk	$2.50
Pearly Taro Soya Milk	$3.00
Watermelon Soya Milk	$2.70
Almond Soya Milk (Bottled)	$2.60
Black Soya Milk	$2.10
Icy Viet Coffee 16oz	$3.90
Viet Coffee (Hot) 8oz	$2.00
Viet Coffee (Hot) 16oz	$3.40
Beancurd
Product Name	Price
Classic Beancurd	$1.80
Pearly Beancurd	$2.50
Ginger Soup Beancurd	$2.90
Grass Jelly Beancurd	$2.50
Sea Salt Gula Melaka Beancurd	$2.50
Soya Milk Pouches (500ml)
Product Name	Price
Black Soya Milk Pouch (Unsweetened)	$2.40
Chocolate Soya Milk	$2.60
Thai Tea Soya Milk	$2.60
Rice balls
Product Name	Price
3-in-1 Rice Balls	$3.00
Ginger Soup Beancurd with Rice Balls	$3.80
Oatmeal with Rice Balls	$3.30
3 in 1 Rice Balls Family Bundle (4 bowls)	$12.50
Ice Cream
Product Name	Price
Cup	$2.30
Cone	$1.90
Porridge
Product Name	Price
Hainanese Chicken	$4.50
Vegetarian Jade Tofu	$3.60
Spicy Minced Chicken & Mushroom	$4.00
Mr Bean Products
Chicken Meatballs	$4.20
Wholegrain Mixed Rice Bowls
Product Name	Price
Teriyaki Chicken	$6.30
Spicy Minced Chicken & Mushroom	$5.90
Chicken Meatballs	$5.90
Soy Curry Chicken	$6.30
Quorn Japanese Curry	$8.90
Pancakes
Product Name	Price
Chicken Mayo	$1.60
Egg Mayo	$1.60
Tuna	$1.60
Chocolate	$1.40
Cheese	$1.60
Kaya Cheese	$2.00
Crunchy Peanut Butter	$1.60
Azuki Red Bean	$1.30
Hazelnut Royale	$1.80
Eggwich
Honey Baked Chicken Ham & Cheese	$3.30
Grab & Go
Dessert Jelly Bowl - Mango Pudding	$2.20
Dessert Jelly Bowl - Longan Red Dates	$2.20
Dessert Jelly Bowl - Almond Longan	$2.20
Dessert Jelly Bowl - Sweet Corn	$2.20
Dessert Jelly Bowl - Red Bean	$2.20
Grass Jelly Bowl - Original	$2.00
Grass Jelly Bowl - Peppermint	$2.00
Grass Jelly Bowl - Luo Han Guo	$2.00
Grass Jello - Original	$1.60
Grass Jello - Chrysanthemum	$1.80
Oxygenated Water	$1.80
Soy Granola
Classic	$2.20
Blueberry	$2.20
Earl Grey	$2.20
Chocolate	$2.20
Cranberry Pumpkin Seeds	$2.20

The prices of Mr Bean’s products are unfixed, varying from location to location.

Future plans

Loh shares that Mr Bean has already made plans to expand into the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) space, with packed products such as soy milk, soy pudding, grass jelly, and soya nuts already available for sale.

Loh also hopes to further explore other food concepts “that cater to other customer groups” in the future. He shares his vision for Mr Bean’s future as follows:

“We believe that if we stay focused in what we do best, consumers will identify and resonate with the brand.”

Mr Bean Singapore Menu & Updated Prices