Wei Lih Jah Jan Men (維力炸醬麵), a 38-year-old Taiwanese instant noodle brand, topped RT-Mart International Ltd’s (大潤發) best-selling instant noodle list last year, according to a recent report released by the hypermarket chain operator.
The report shows RT-Mart sold about 2.5 million packs of Wei Lih Jah Jan Men noodles last year, a rise of 25 percent from a year earlier and pushing the brand up one notch from 2015 to put it in first place in last year’s rankings.
The Ramen Rater, a US ramen review Web site, said in a review released in 2015 that Wei Lih Jah Jan Men has “a very nice gauge and chew.”
“The flavor of the noodle is a soybean paste with a very nice kick to it. The broth for sipping has a salty, onion-garlic kind of feel, but a little different. It works so well together,” Ramen Rater added.
RT-Mart said that the production value of Taiwan’s instant noodles ranges between NT$9 billion and NT$9.2 billion (US$287 million and US$293.4 million) per year, and the top 10 instant noodle brands last year largely came from Taiwanese suppliers.
The hypermarket chain said that instant noodles have become one of the favorite late-night snacks for many Taiwanese consumers, adding that some even pack instant noodles into their luggage when they take an overseas trip to reduce homesickness for Taiwanese food.
The RT-Mart report shows Wei Wei A Chicken Noodles (味味A排骨雞麵) in second place, with sales of 2.2 million packs, up 10 percent, but down one notch from a year earlier, as it encountered stiff competition from Wei Lih Jah Jan Men.
Vedan Wei Wei Noodles (味丹味味麵) took third position last year, with 1.82 million packs sold, up 4 percent from a year earlier, ahead of Wei Wang Instant Beef Noodles (味王牛肉麵, 1.8 million packs sold), I Duo Zang Beef Noodles (一度贊紅燒牛肉麵, 1.6 million packs sold), Wei Wei Premium Beef Noodles (味味一品原汁珍味牛肉麵, 1.55 million packs sold), Hua-Tiau Chiew Chicken Noodles (花雕雞麵, 1.3 million packs sold) and Prince Noodles (王子麵, 1.2 million packs sold).
Only two foreign instant noodle brands made the top 10 list, with South Korea’s OTTOGI cheese-flavor ramen coming in ninth (900,000 packs sold), right before Japan’s Nissin Seafood Cup Noodles (800,000 packs sold), RT-Mart said.
TARIFFS: The global ‘panic atmosphere remains strong,’ and foreign investors have continued to sell their holdings since the start of the year, the Ministry of Finance said The government yesterday authorized the activation of its NT$500 billion (US$15.15 billion) National Stabilization Fund (NSF) to prop up the local stock market after two days of sharp falls in reaction to US President Donald Trump’s new import tariffs. The Ministry of Finance said in a statement after the market close that the steering committee of the fund had been given the go-ahead to intervene in the market to bolster Taiwanese shares in a time of crisis. The fund has been authorized to use its assets “to carry out market stabilization tasks as appropriate to maintain the stability of Taiwan’s
STEEP DECLINE: Yesterday’s drop was the third-steepest in its history, the steepest being Monday’s drop in the wake of the tariff announcement on Wednesday last week Taiwanese stocks continued their heavy sell-off yesterday, as concerns over US tariffs and unwinding of leveraged bets weighed on the market. The benchmark TAIEX plunged 1,068.19 points, or 5.79 percent, to 17,391.76, notching the biggest drop among Asian peers as it hit a 15-month low. The decline came even after the government on late Tuesday authorized the NT$500 billion (US$15.2 billion) National Stabilization Fund (國安基金) to step in to buoy the market amid investors’ worries over tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. Yesterday’s decline was the third-steepest in its history, trailing only the declines of 2,065.87 points on Monday and
TARIFF CONCERNS: The chipmaker cited global uncertainty from US tariffs and a weakening economic outlook, but said its Singapore expansion remains on track Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp (世界先進), a foundry service provider specializing in producing power management and display driver chips, yesterday withdrew its full-year revenue projection of moderate growth for this year, as escalating US tariff tensions raised uncertainty and concern about a potential economic recession. The Hsinchu-based chipmaker in February said revenues this year would grow mildly from last year based on improving supply chain inventory levels and market demand. At the time, it also anticipated gradual quarter revenue growth. However, the US’ sweeping tariff policy has upended the industry’s supply chains and weakened economic prospects for the world economy, it said. “Now
An employment discrimination lawsuit against contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) might soon be expanded after a hearing in a federal court in San Jose, California, on Tuesday to add 15 plaintiffs to the case. According to a court document, the lawsuit, which was refiled in November last year as a form of a class action with 13 plaintiffs in California, wants to add 15 plaintiffs from Arizona, where TSMC is building up its wafer fab capacity. TSMC first committed between 2020 and last year to invest US$65 billion in three advanced wafer fabs in Arizona. It then pledged an
RSS