This undated file photo provided by Nongshim shows its advertisement board with the flagship Shin Ramyun product at a bus stop in the Netherlands. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 14 (Korea Bizwire) — Nongshim Co., South Korea’s leading instant noodle maker, said Tuesday it is considering building a new domestic plant for exports only amid growing overseas demand for Korean instant noodles, called ramyeon.
Nongshim is in consideration to build the exports-only plant in the southeastern port city of Busan or Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, for an expanded supply of the ramyeon products in Europe and Asia, a company spokesperson said over the phone.
It has six domestic plants and six overseas ones — two in the United States and four in China.
In the U.S., where it operates No. 1 and No. 2 ramyeon plants in Los Angeles, Nongshim plans to expand the No. 2 facility in October to meet rapidly growing local demand for its cup noodle products, the company said in a statement.
But the company didn’t provide the size of the planned investments and the timeframe for the domestic plant’s construction.
Nongshim sells instant noodle products represented by its flagship noodle Shin Ramyun, Chapagetti and Neoguri in global markets.
This year, Nongshim is planning to explore new markets in Europe, while expanding its global production capacity, the statement said.
As part of such efforts, the company will add Neoguri and Soon veggie noodle products in addition to the existing Shin Ramyun at outlets of France’s two biggest distribution channels — E.Leclerc and Carrefour — starting in June, it said.
“Through partnership with Carrefour, we are considering advancing to European markets, including Spain, Italy, Poland and Romania, with our ramyeon products,” the statement said.
(Yonhap)
