Ramen Industry Sees Successive Launches of Spicy Ramen
Intense Competition in the Rising Trend of 'Spicy Flavor'
As the rainy season ends and the real heat begins, the spicy ramen market is also heating up. Eating spicy food has become a form of play culture, and as more consumers feel a sense of ‘maepusim’ (spicy pride) in this process, the industry is accelerating efforts to expand and grow the market with products that can stimulate their challenge spirit.
According to the food industry on the 2nd, Ottogi will launch ‘Ma-Yeol Ramen,’ which adds garlic and pepper to Yeol Ramen, in August. Yeol Ramen, launched in 1996, is Ottogi’s representative spicy ramen with a Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) exceeding 5,000. Ottogi explained that by adding the pungent garlic and sharp pepper to the clean spicy flavor of Yeol Ramen, they have created a familiar yet new spicy taste.
As the weather gets hotter, the spicy ramen competition in the ramen industry is also intensifying. Nongshim will release a limited edition ‘Shin Ramyun The Red’ on the 14th, which enhances the spiciness of Shin Ramyun. Shin Ramyun The Red has a Scoville Heat Unit of 7,500 SHU, more than double the original Shin Ramyun (3,400 SHU), and is spicier than Nongshim’s spiciest ramen, Angry Neoguri (6,080 SHU).
Ramen manufacturers are competing to launch spicy ramen because spiciness has marketability. Paldo’s ‘King Ttukbaegi,’ released in 2021 with a Scoville Heat Unit of 12,000 SHU, holds the title of the spiciest cup ramen in Korea and surpassed 10 million cumulative sales in May. Samyang Foods’ Buldak brand, which has played a leading role in forming the spicy ramen market since its launch in 2012, surpassed 5 billion cumulative sales as of last month. Its cumulative revenue reaches 3 trillion won.
The Buldak brand’s growth and popularity both domestically and overseas owe much to the ‘Buldak Mukbang Challenge.’ As eating spicy food emerged as a form of play culture, spicy ramen developed into a new category, and with many consumers responding to the fun element, manufacturers have established a background to continuously release new products that can stimulate the challenge spirit. As spicy ramen continues to succeed and expand the market size, the spicy flavor launch competition in the ramen industry is expected to continue for the time being.
Additionally, the fact that demand for spicy food increases during economic downturns is another reason why manufacturers are eager to release spicy ramen recently. Eating spicy food, which causes pain sensation, triggers the secretion of endorphins with pain-relieving effects to reduce pain on the tongue’s surface, resulting in a refreshing feeling. This leads to increased demand for relatively cheap and easy ways to relieve stress.
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