On the morning of the 17th (local time), at the Granny Smith Festival held in Eastwood, Sydney, Australia. A middle school boy who received a cup of Shin Ramyun kimchi stir-fried noodles from Nongshim's red food truck opened his eyes wide at the spiciness. After slurping up the noodles, he stuck out his tongue and began fanning himself with his hand at the unexpectedly intense flavor. Soon, he slowly savored the taste and went back to the end of the long line, saying he would get another cup.
The festival grounds were crowded with people from the morning. Amusement rides, performance venues, and food trucks set up by blocking the road in front of Eastwood Station saw family visitors coming and going. A winding queue extended in front of Nongshim's food truck for those wanting to taste freshly cooked ramen. Nongshim Australia employees who boiled and served ramen from the food truck did not lose their smiles even in the hot space, and a sense of pride was evident on their faces.
The Granny Smith Festival is an event honoring Maria Ann Smith, who cultivated the region's green apple variety, and is a representative street festival in Sydney that attracts up to 100,000 people. Nongshim has participated in this festival for three consecutive years. The organizers gave them a prime spot at the entrance of the venue. For this festival, Nongshim prepared approximately 30 boxes containing 32 packs each of ramen, including Shin Ramyun Toomba and Shin Ramyun kimchi stir-fried noodles, totaling close to 1,000 packs.
Park Sung-jin, head of Nongshim Australia, said, "When I first took office in 2021, it was really not easy to secure outdoor events, but now we evaluate the effects and choose events," adding, "Our awareness has increased as we continued university events and promotions at large supermarkets, and event organizers are now sending us proposals to participate."
Head Park analyzed that a key factor in the popularity is the changed attitude of foreigners toward spicy food. He explained, "At an event I held when I was at the U.S. subsidiary in 2019, there were children who could not endure the spiciness," adding, "Recently, with growing interest in Korean culture, spicy food has become an element to enjoy among young overseas consumers."
In particular, interest has poured into Shin Ramyun Toomba, which sales began last year, as Australian consumers prefer products without broth. The fact that the product name borrows the regional name "Toowoomba," an inland highland city in southeastern Queensland, Australia, is also a marketing point. They plan to unveil "Shin Ramyun Rosé" in the Australian market at the end of the year.
The popularity of Nongshim products in Australia is on an increasing trend. The pop-up store first opened in Brisbane last August was visited by approximately 3,500 people over seven days, and at an event held in Melbourne last year, visitors flocked to taste ramen, with waiting times reaching up to four hours.
Head Park said, "In Korea, Shin Ramyun has a strong image as a long-standing steady seller, but in Australia, it is a 'hip' product sought by young consumers," adding, "While we previously focused on making the brands Nongshim and Shin Ramyun known, we are now striving to become the No. 1 ramen that locals put in their shopping carts."
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