Nongshim Ramen That Moved the World... Praised as the 'World's Best Ramen' for Quality Commitment

The New York Times Selects 'Shin Ramyun Black' as the World's Best Ramen
Success Keys: Quality, Commitment to Korean Flavor, and Step-by-Step Market Strategy

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] Nongshim ramen is moving the world beyond Korea. Nongshim, which knocked on the door of the global market earlier than any other domestic food company, is currently exporting ramen to more than 100 countries worldwide, proudly carrying the title of ‘Shin Ramyun found anywhere in the world,’ playing a significant role as a K-food (Korean food wave) food diplomat promoting the taste of Korea.

Overseas Sales Target of $950 Million

Nongshim entered the US and Chinese markets early and is demonstrating the true value of K-ramen in the global market. Nongshim’s overseas sales target for this year is $950 million, about 20% higher than last year. This is a super-gap level that competitors cannot catch up with. Already, in the first half of the year alone, it achieved 65% of last year’s full-year sales, marking the highest performance ever.

The driving force is success in the key market, the United States. The US subsidiary’s sales in the first half grew 35% year-on-year to $164 million, setting a record high. The top contributor is undoubtedly ‘Shin Ramyun.’ Shin Ramyun recorded sales of about $48 million in the US in the first half, up 25%, showing a dominant presence. The secret is quality.

In June, Shin Ramyun Black was selected as the world’s best ramen by Wirecutter, the product review site of The New York Times in the US. Shin Ramyun Black proudly took first place, beating fierce candidates in the ‘World’s Best Ramen BEST 11’ announced by seven experts including chefs, writers, and critics who conducted direct evaluations. The best 11 ramens included four Korean ramens, six Japanese ramens, and one Singaporean ramen. Following Shin Ramyun Black, Chapaguri (Chapagetti + Neoguri, 3rd), Shin Ramyun Dry Noodles (6th), and Shin Ramyun Bowl (8th) also made the rankings, attracting attention. Among the 11 products, four Nongshim brand products were the only Korean products to be ranked, establishing the pride of Korean ramen.

It took quite some time for Nongshim ramen to be recognized as the world’s best ramen. Nongshim began exporting ramen for the first time in the 1970s, introducing the taste of Korea to overseas consumers with different tastes and cultures. At that time, Chairman Shin Chun-ho of Nongshim was confident that “the taste of Korea will become the most global taste” and set the principle of preserving the original taste of Nongshim ramen. This principle has remained unchanged since the export began. The determination to maintain the Korean taste instead of producing products similar to popular Japanese ramen created the result of ‘the most delicious ramen in the world.’

Shin Dong-yeop, head of Nongshim America, the US subsidiary, summarized the secret of success in the US market with three keywords: quality, insistence on Korean taste, and step-by-step market approach. Shin emphasized, “The reason Americans like Shin Ramyun is its unique spicy taste that cannot be found anywhere else and its good quality, making it a perfect meal. We entered the US market step-by-step with success stories such as success in the Korean-American market and entry into all Walmart stores, and the competitiveness built this way made Nongshim America what it is today.”

Nongshim said, “Good evaluations of the Nongshim brand in the US market, the global ramen battleground, are directly linked to the status of Korean ramen,” and added, “Based on Nongshim’s overseas business competitiveness boasting superior taste, quality, and production systems, we will continuously increase the popularity of K-food in the global market.”

First Overseas Market "Greatest Leap in the US"

Nongshim first turned its eyes overseas in 1971. At that time, Nongshim took its first step into overseas business by exporting beef ramen to the US. In the early days, Nongshim’s main target was the Korean-American market. As the 1990s approached, the market diversified, and by around 1998, Asian consumers including Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese accounted for about 25%, and Hispanic consumers from Central and South America about 10%, significantly increasing the consumer base beyond the Korean-American market. Accordingly, Nongshim’s US export performance grew rapidly from about $2 million in 1988 to $16.5 million in 1995 and $25 million in 1998. Exported products included Shin Ramyun, Neoguri, Yukgaejang Bowl Noodles, and Kimchi Bowl Noodles.

To actively promote its US business, Nongshim established a local subsidiary, ‘Nongshim America,’ in the Los Angeles (LA) area in 1994. Nongshim fiercely competed with Japanese companies leading the US market and introduced Korean flagship products such as Shin Ramyun and Yukgaejang Bowl Noodles as they were to the market.

Business expansion was not smooth. Nongshim’s products, characterized by spicy flavors like Shin Ramyun and Neoguri, were relatively easy to supply to the Korean-American market, but other markets posed high barriers. Japanese companies had already dominated the market with chicken broth-based ramen. At that time, chicken flavor ramen was the best-selling ramen in the US market, followed by beef and seafood flavors. Nongshim first targeted the Korean-American market and some Hispanic markets accustomed to spicy flavors and gradually expanded the market.

In the 2000s, with increasing ramen demand and export volume in the US, Nongshim recognized the need for local production. Operating a local factory allows timely supply of fresh and high-quality products to consumers and facilitates partnerships with major distributors. At that time, Chairman Shin expressed his vision for factory construction: “Nongshim’s technology is not inferior to any US food company. Let’s build a factory comparable to the best US food companies and set a goal to become the best food company in the US.”

The factory site was decided in Rancho Cucamonga, California. This area had geographical advantages as a logistics hub for the western US and a logistics point for the eastern region. After about a year of construction, the LA factory was completed in June 2005. The LA factory was built on a 15,590-pyeong (approximately 51,500 m²) site with about 7,500 pyeong (approximately 24,800 m²) of building area. The investment cost for factory construction alone reached 60 billion KRW at that time.

Nongshim initially installed one line for bagged noodles and two lines for cup noodles at the LA factory. The bagged noodle line produced Shin Ramyun, Neoguri, Chapagetti, and Ansungtangmyun, while the cup noodle line produced Yukgaejang Bowl Noodles, Shin Ramyun Big Bowl, and other Korean flagship products. Compared to the low-priced ramen sold by Japanese companies in the US market, Nongshim introduced high-quality Korean products as they were. Currently, Nongshim produces 500 million ramen units annually on six lines at the LA factory and is preparing to build a second factory nearby. Nongshim said, “With the mission of making the world’s best ramen, we will also build facilities with advanced equipment that competitors cannot match.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.