Nongshim's Neoguri Sales Increase Drives Record High Use of Domestic Dasima

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] Nongshim announced on the 26th that Neoguri's sales revenue reached 100 billion KRW by October this year, marking a 34% increase compared to the same period last year, driven by the Chapaguri craze that has been a hot topic since early this year and the increased demand for ramen due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Accordingly, Nongshim expects the usage of domestically sourced kelp this year to exceed 500 tons, the highest ever recorded.

Neoguri is a steady seller that has maintained consistent popularity over a long period, so raw material purchases are made at similar levels each year. In fact, Nongshim has purchased 400 tons of kelp from Wando annually for Neoguri production.

However, last year, due to favorable crop conditions, Nongshim purchased an additional 180 tons to secure high-quality kelp. This was intended to enhance the quality of Neoguri products by using premium kelp and to contribute to the stable income of the farming households.

Nongshim has insisted on using Wando kelp since Neoguri was launched in 1982. At the time of development, Nongshim chose Wando kelp to realize a differentiated seafood udon flavor, which later became a symbol of Neoguri.

Nongshim insists on only the highest quality kelp. To date, the total amount of kelp purchased by Nongshim exceeds 15,000 tons. The annual kelp purchase by Nongshim is the largest scale in the domestic food industry, accounting for about 15% of the annual dried kelp production in the Wando region. Nongshim's love for Wando kelp has continued for three years.

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