Nongshim, Neoguri 40th Anniversary... Cumulative Sales Surpass 6 Billion Units

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] Nongshim's 'Neoguri' has celebrated its 40th anniversary this year. Launched in 1982, Neoguri opened the era of Korea's first udon-style ramen and has established itself as Nongshim's longest-running ramen brand and a powerhouse brand with annual sales reaching 100 billion KRW.

Nongshim announced on the 16th that Neoguri, launched in November 1982, has recorded cumulative sales of 6.06 billion units up to the third quarter of this year. Converted into sales revenue, this amounts to 2.4 trillion KRW.

Nongshim explained that the reason Neoguri has received consistent love over a long period is due to its spicy seafood udon broth that suits consumers' tastes and its plump, chewy noodles, which differentiate it from regular ramen. It is analyzed that Neoguri formed a solid fan base from the early days with a new flavor not found in existing ramen.

The 40-year love Nongshim has shown for Wando kelp, which has continued alongside Neoguri's history, is also regarded as a representative win-win management case as it leads to stable income for fishermen. Nongshim consistently purchases an average of 400 tons of Geumildo kelp annually, with cumulative purchases reaching about 16,000 tons. Especially this year, thanks to the increase in Neoguri sales, they purchased 450 tons, more than 10% higher than usual.

A Nongshim official said, “Neoguri continues its popularity through various marketing activities, including a collaboration event with Baedal Minjok earlier this year. We will work even harder so that Neoguri, which is greatly loved in the domestic ramen market, can grow into a global K-food brand following Shin Ramyun.”

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