Pulmuone 'Jayeoneun Masitda Jeongmyeon' Sells 2 Million Packs... A New Horizon for Vegan Ramen

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] Pulmuone Foods announced on the 4th that its first vegan ramen certified by the Korea Vegan Certification Institute, ‘Jayeoneun Masitta Jeongmyeon’ (Jeongmyeon), has surpassed cumulative sales of 2 million packs, opening a new horizon for vegan ramen.

At the end of August last year, Pulmuone renewed its ramen brand to ‘Jayeoneun Masitta’ and launched three types of ramen?Jeongmyeon, Baekmyeon, and Hongmyeon?featuring the natural taste of ingredients clearly and vividly realized through a roasting method. Among them, Jeongmyeon gained popularity as a ‘delicious vegan ramen,’ surpassing 2 million packs in just four months.

Although there is a prejudice that vegan foods have a narrow consumer base and are likely to fail, Jeongmyeon is expanding its consumer base by appealing to general ramen consumers with its spicy and rich, deep broth. Its excellent taste has also earned favorable reviews from people who do not necessarily follow a vegetarian diet.

In fact, customer reviews of Jeongmyeon include comments such as “It was more delicious than expected, so I placed an additional order,” “Especially the broth taste is amazing,” “Faithful to the ‘ramen taste,’” “The broth is rich,” “I found a ramen I really like,” and “Moderately spicy and the broth tastes good, better than I thought.”

Jeongmyeon’s achievements are noteworthy because they overcame two difficulties. With ‘staying at home’ becoming a trend, ramen sales increased significantly this year. However, only existing popular ramen brands showed a rising trend, while new products struggled. Moreover, the domestic vegan market shows growth potential but remains a very niche market. Ramen, in particular, is an item with weak recognition as a vegan product.

Unlike the vegan ramen generally imagined, Jeongmyeon is a delicious vegan ramen characterized by a rich and spicy flavor. It is roasted with 12 kinds of vegetables including mushrooms, onions, napa cabbage, green onions, and radish, making the umami of the vegetables vivid and distinct. Additionally, it contains vegetable broth made from soybeans and a base broth made from jang (fermented soybean paste), giving it a rich flavor similar to meat broth.

Lee Daegyu, PM (Product Manager) of Pulmuone Foods’ Jamat Division, said, “The three types of ramen?Jeongmyeon, Baekmyeon, and Hongmyeon?based on the new concept of roasting method are all equally loved and show great potential,” adding, “Jeongmyeon seems to receive good reviews because it greatly compensates for the shortcomings of existing vegan ramen and emphasizes being a ‘vegan ramen that competes with taste.’”

Meanwhile, Jeongmyeon became the first domestic ramen to obtain vegan food certification from the Korea Vegan Certification Institute in November last year. The Korea Vegan Certification Institute is an official organization responsible for vegan certification and assurance of food and cosmetics, known for having stricter and more rigorous certification procedures than overseas vegan certifications.

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