The first store opened in January 2005 by Korean
Americans Shelly Hwang and Young Lee. The tart,
frozen dessert has a groupie-like following who
sometimes refer to it as "Crackberry" (not to
be confused with the BlackBerry, which has also
been nicknamed the Crackberry). The company
acknowledges its cult-like following by
maintaining a "groupie corner" on its website.
When the company was the subject of an American
Express commercial for a new "Plum Card" aimed at
mid-sized business owners in 2007, the commercial
stated that "it's amazing how in just three years,
Hwang and Lee created a cultural phenomenon".