Subscribe
E-Paper
 |
| Pulmuone's premium fresh noodle items / Courtesy of Pulmuone |
Korean fresh food company Pulmuone is seeing positive results in the American market with its Asian noodle products. According to the company, Tuesday, annual gross sales of its noodle packs have skyrocketed, increasing six-fold in four years to record over $30 million. Pulmuone adopted the strategy of putting a strong emphasis on product quality, placing premium fresh noodles in the American market where only relatively cheap instant noodles with flavoring powder existed before.
The fresh food company first entered the U.S. mainstream Asian noodle market with premium noodle products in 2015 when its annual sales started at $5 million. With the solid performance of its Black Bean Sauce Noodles and Teriyaki Stir-fry Udon packs in Costco stores across the country, their sales have been increasing steadily. Pulmuone saw particular success in 2018 when the number soared by 85 percent in one year to hit the $30 million mark.
The Black Bean Sauce Noodles was Pulmuone's initial offering that attracted U.S. buyers and consumers. The company first introduced the premium noodle pack by hosting a Costco roadshow with the item in 2015. Originating from China, the now "Koreanized" black bean noodle dish, also known as Jjajangmyeon here, earned interest from American customers, many of who became familiar with the dish due to it being referenced in Oscar-winning film "Parasite."
After introducing Black Bean Sauce Noodles to Costco stores in the U.S., Pulmuone's gross sales in the Asian noodle category posted $8 million in 2017. At the end of 2016, the fresh food company launched a new product, Teriyaki Stir-fry Udon, a soybean-sauce-based fresh noodle meal with a mixed vegetable topping. Bringing home the authentic taste of Asian restaurants, Pulmuone's Teriyaki Stir-fry Udon went on to contribute to the company's sales record of $16 million in 2018. Now, the two fresh noodle items sell at more than 300 Costco stores in the U.S.
"As the U.S. Asian noodle market was focused on items of low-priced instant noodles, we chose to approach the market with premium fresh noodles to meet the consumer needs for quality Asian foods," said Sujie Park, a Product Manager of Asian Category Marketing at Pulmuone USA Foods. "Pulmuone's main products in the U.S. have been groceries such as tofu and kimchi so far, but we are aggressively expanding our lineup of convenience foods including fresh noodles."
Pulmuone is continuing to expanding its product lineup with new items such as Korean Inspired Beef Udon, Knife-cut Asian Noodles, Pho Noodle Soup and Katsuo Udon.
