"Buldak Mother" Kim Jungsu Takes On Jjajang Ramyeon Market... Jjarreureu Surpasses 10 Million Packs Sold

Jjarreureu Surpasses 10 Million Units Sold

Chairman Kim: "We Were Eager to Introduce It to Consumers Quickly"

"Tallow Universe" Set to Expand

At the 'Jjarreu Media Tasting Event' held on the 7th at Samyang Food's Myeongdong headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, Kim Jeongsu, Chairman of Samyang Food, is giving a greeting. Photo by Heo Kyungjun.

"I wanted to show you what a true Jjajang ramen tastes like."

Kim Jeongsu, Chairman of Samyang Food, made this statement at the 'Jjarreu Media Tasting Event' held on October 7 at Samyang Food's Myeongdong headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul.

Chairman Kim emphasized, "From the very beginning of planning Jjarreu, we kept tasting and upgrading the product, and I was eager to introduce it to consumers as quickly as possible. It was developed from the desire to recreate the authentic taste of Jjajangmyeon as a ramen."

Since its launch in July 2026, 'Jjarreu', the Jjajang ramen released by Samyang Food, has gained tremendous popularity, recording sales of 10 million units in just 100 days. Jjarreu expands on the beef tallow frying method that Samyang Food revived in 2025 after 36 years with 'Samyang 1963', now applying it to Jjajang ramen.

Chae Hyeyoung, Head of the Product Division, said, "Samyang Food is building the 'Beef Tallow Universe.' We planned Jjarreu with the idea that we could make a splash in the Jjajang ramen market, where very few new products come out."

Samyang Food invested great effort in the development of Jjarreu. To achieve the flavor of freshly cooked Jjajang, the company visited and thoroughly researched more than 100 renowned Jjajang restaurants nationwide, analyzing characteristics such as stir-fry aroma, flavor, and sauce thickness. After integrating these insights into the product design, they completed the liquid sauce following over 450 blending experiments over a period of one and a half years. The sauce was designed so that the deep flavor of high-temperature stir-fried black bean paste would balance with the savory notes of vegetables and beef, and deliver an aroma reminiscent of freshly stir-fried Jjajang.

Chae added, "Consumer feedback on existing Jjajang ramen has mostly been dissatisfaction, often citing a decline in taste. Samyang Food aimed to create a Jjajang ramen that didn't require discarding water, using the beef tallow frying method. By selecting a liquid sauce for better coating, we wanted to provide consumers with a rich, meaty flavor."

To this end, Samyang Food differentiated the noodles from existing Jjajang ramen. After analyzing factors such as noodle thickness, chewiness, and how well the sauce soaks into the noodles at famous Jjajang restaurants nationwide, more than 300 blending experiments were conducted to develop noodles exclusively for Jjarreu. The noodles are fried in beef tallow to bring out a rich, nutty flavor, and are made thick and dense to retain the rich sauce while maintaining a chewy texture that does not easily get soggy.

The biggest difference between Jjarreu and regular Jjajang ramen lies in the cooking method: there is no need to discard water. The flavor that infuses the noodles while boiling them fried in beef tallow is retained in the noodle water, and rather than discarding it, the liquid sauce is mixed in so that the savory richness of the tallow and deep Jjajang flavor can naturally blend together. Additionally, two types of flakes—beef dice containing real beef and seasoned soy protein—are included to enhance both the texture and meaty flavor.

Lee Byeonghun, Chief Research Officer at Samyang Food, said, "I put a lot of thought into how to introduce a truly delicious product to consumers, and made this with the intent of redefining the standard for Jjajang ramen. I believe that a truly great Jjajang dish is made when the aroma and umami of stir-fried black bean paste, sweetness, thick, reduced sauce, and chewy noodles carrying the sauce all harmonize together."

He continued, "To fully capture the flavor of a well-known restaurant's Jjajang in a single bowl, we chose a liquid sauce. We built a layered taste based on findings from restaurant visits, implementing high-temperature stir-fried black bean paste, vegetable and beef flavors, and a stir-fry aroma that brings out the cooked sensation."

At the tasting event that day, Jjarreu impressed with the rich flavor of its Jjajang sauce and the coated noodles. Unlike the flakes found in regular Jjajang ramen, these offered a texture and natural taste reminiscent of real meat. The noodles had an ideal chewy yet soft texture, and true to its beef tallow ramen character, the nutty aroma was pronounced.

Since its launch in July 2026, Jjarreu ranked second in online mentions among Jjajang ramen brands within just a month. As mega influencers posted spontaneous reviews and mukbang content proliferated, according to Nielsen, first month (July) sales amounted to 1.2 billion won, rising to 1.8 billion won in August, making Jjarreu the second best-selling product in the Jjajang ramen market. Samyang Food's sales target for Jjarreu this year is over 10 billion won.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.