Samyang says 4 billion Buldak Ramen packs are just a start

Buldak Ramen flavors sold by Samyang Foods. [SAMYANG FOODS]

Over 4 billion packages of the Buldak Ramen were sold since it was first marketed in 2012, and Samyang Foods is redoubling its efforts to sell the product overseas.

According to Samyang Foods on Monday, it recently sold over 4 billion packs of the Buldak Ramen series. It broke the 3-billion-pack milestone in June last year, selling an additional billion packs in just a year.

Exports have been rising as the popularity of the ramyeon grows abroad as well, and the company said it expects to break cumulative exports of $400 million this year.

The Buldak Ramen brand logged sales of 322.9 billion won ($247 million) overseas in 2021, up 6.6 percent on year.

With the product well-received abroad, Samyang Foods plans to continue to focus on global customers.

It plans to develop more Buldak Ramen flavors for foreign markets. They will only be available in certain countries. The Habanero Lime Buldak Ramen, which it started selling only in the United States in May, is one example.

The company says the combination of habenero peppers and lime will be familiar to the Hispanic population in the country.

Samyang Foods says more Buldak Ramen flavors exclusively for Asian markets will be introduced in the second half of 2021.

“We plan to release more new products that appeal to foreign tastes, having a wide range of Buldak Ramen offerings globally,” Samyang Foods said in a statement Monday. “We also plan to expand into global markets with the help of our overseas subsidiaries.”

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]