Samyang Foods’ Fire Chicken Series is taking the global market by storm. Particularly under the full support of Vice Chairman Kim Jeong Su of Samyang Roundsquare, the Fire Chicken legend continues, receiving continuous attention from local media.
According to industry sources, on the 22nd, the New York Times reported on the sold-out frenzy of Fire Chicken Ramen. Previously, the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Japan’s Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and Nikkei Asia have also spotlighted Korea’s Fire Chicken Ramen.
The Carbo Fire Chicken Ramen, which encapsulates Kim’s strategy of wanting ramen to transcend a simple food and become a fashion and culture, has garnered attention.
According to the New York Times, purchasing the Carbo Fire Chicken Ramen is challenging despite being sold in most U.S. retail chains and stores, including Amazon, Walmart, Costco-Safeway, and Korean markets.
Samyang Foods’ Fire Chicken Ramen series has shown signs of being a hit since its exports began in earnest in 2017. It expanded to Africa in 2019.
The Fire Chicken Ramen, first launched in 2012, has shown explosive growth over ten years since its release, introducing various products such as Carbo Fire Chicken Ramen and Jjajang Fire Chicken Ramen.
It achieved cumulative sales of 1 billion units in 2017, 2 billion units in 2019, 3 billion units in 2021, and broke through 4 billion units in 2022. In 2023, it reached 5 billion units in cumulative sales, achieving total sales of over KRW 1.2 trillion ($1 billion).
Thanks to the global popularity of the Fire Chicken brand, which is currently exported to more than 90 countries, Samyang Foods achieved exports of $100 million in 2017, $200 million in 2018, $300 million in 2020, and $400 million in 2022.
Due to this popularity, Samyang Foods’ stock price also rises daily. On the 22nd, it rose 7.93% from the previous day to KRW 292,500 ($245), rewriting the 52-week high.
Han Yoo Jung, an analyst at Hanwha Investment & Securities, said, “For the U.S. corporation, which started generating substantial sales from February 2022 after its establishment in August 2021, a stable distribution system is being established,” and added, “We expect another quantum leap after the completion of the second factory in Miryang in June 2025.”