The boom in vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free foods has driven demand for high-quality food alternatives globally in recent years. South Korean food company Pulmuone plans to quadruple production of its gluten-free "soy milky noodle" next year to solidify its presence in a fast-growing market for alternative noodles.
"We've been selling konjac noodles in the US, and next year we plan on exporting soy milky noodles as well," said Cho Sung-bin, head of the SOY (soybean) development team at Pulmuone in an interview with Chosunbiz on Tuesday.
The company, known for its tofu products in Korea, introduced soy milky noodles, which are made from ground soybeans, in June this year. The noodles have since ranked top place at the '2023 Korea Food & Tech Awards', standing out among 255 entries.
Soy milky noodle has gained popularity as a gluten-free noodle alternative. The noodles offer a texture similar to traditional wheat-based somen noodles but contain fewer calories (75㎉ per 150 grams), and one-third of the carbohydrate content of regular wheat-based noodles. The noodles require no boiling - consumers simply discard the filling water and mix in the sauce.
Cho Sung-bin, a soybean processing expert leading the product's development, has been working at Pulmuone's soybean and tofu R&D team since he joined the company in 2002.
He explained that demand for a more authentic, noodle-like texture led to the development of the product. Traditional noodles made of wheat flour contain gluten, which gives noodles their chewy texture.
The market trend towards gluten-free products, backed by concerns about gluten-related health issues, has led Pulmuone to create alternatives that use soy. Previously, the company introduced tofu noodles and konjac noodles, but many consumers pointed out that the texture of gluten-free noodles was not on par with conventional wheat-based noodles.
"The tofu noodles we launched in 2020 sold very well in the market, but we received mixed reviews internally," said Cho. "The company wanted us to come up with a product that tasted more like "real" noodles, so we created the soy milky noodle."
Health-conscious consumers responded positively to the product. "It was rewarding to read reviews that mentioned how people were able to better manage their blood sugar by replacing conventional noodles with gluten-free soy milky noodles," Cho said.
In the three months from June to August, soy milky noodles saw an 80 percent conversion rate in supermarkets during "try before you buy" sessions, according to the company. "The initial sales of soy milky noodles were two to three times higher than tofu noodles, but the cannibalization rate was less than 10 percent, meaning that there was a net increase in sales," Cho added.
Pulmuone plans to quadruple production of soy milky noodles, in a strategic move to expand sales into the US market. "Our goal is to increase soy milky noodle sales to 20 billion won ($15 million) by 2025." The company has been selling konjac noodles in the US market under the brand "Pasta Zero".
Cho said soy milky noodles are a lot more convenient to eat than most alternative gluten-free noodle products, as the company sells its products in easy-to-use meal kits. "Tofu noodles are primarily used in salads, while soy milky noodles are more likely to be consumed as a meal replacement, especially in single-person households."
Pulmuone intends to introduce a wide range of products in Korea next year, including tofu bars, which have been popular in Japan. "Soy milky noodles are currently only made in the form of thin somen noodles, but we are also exploring the option of producing "heavy noodles" that resemble pasta."
This article was originally published on Nov. 13, 2023.