Samyang Foods Establishes U.S. Sales Corporation... Supplying Locally Customized Products

Samyang Foods "Heading to Conquer the US Ramen Market"
2.3 Billion Investment to Fully Launch Local Business

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] Samyang Foods is making a full-scale entry into the U.S. ramen market. On the 13th, Samyang Foods announced that it will establish its U.S. subsidiary, 'Samyang America.' The establishment of Samyang Foods' U.S. sales corporation was strategically pursued to expand the market in response to the increasing demand for Korean ramen in the U.S. Additionally, the growing recognition of the Buldak brand in the U.S. was also noted. Samyang Foods plans to invest 2.3 billion KRW (2 million USD) in Samyang America by the 31st to actively advance its local business.

'Samyang America' is Samyang Foods' second overseas subsidiary following 'Samyang Japan,' established in January 2019. Samyang Foods aims to localize distribution, expand sales channels, and introduce ramen products tailored specifically for U.S. consumers.

According to the Korea Customs Service, the export value of Korean ramen in the first half of this year reached 373 billion KRW (319.68 million USD), setting a record high. The U.S. ranks second in export volume after China. The popularity of Korean ramen surged as the COVID-19 pandemic increased home dining, making ramen a convenient meal and emergency food supply.

Seeing growth limitations in the domestic market, Samyang Foods turned its attention overseas early on. With the so-called 'big hit' of Buldak Bokkeum Myun abroad, the export value of Samyang Foods' Buldak series, which was only 10 billion KRW in 2015, surpassed 300 billion KRW last year, and the number of export countries expanded to 85. Last year, overseas sales (370.3 billion KRW) exceeded domestic sales (278.1 billion KRW). In the first quarter of this year, overseas sales accounted for 77% of total sales.

Samyang Foods views the U.S. as a blue ocean market following China and Southeast Asia. Last year, three Buldak series products ranked in the top 10 ramen sales on the global online shopping mall Amazon. U.S. sales increased from 18.5 billion KRW in 2018 to 56 billion KRW last year. In the first half of this year, sales reached 20 billion KRW.

A Samyang Foods official said, "We will continuously expand sales not only with flagship products such as Samyang Ramen and Buldak Bokkeum Myun but also by supplying locally customized products tailored to U.S. consumer characteristics." Reporter Lim Hye-seon lhsro@

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