Interview With Nissin Singapore * Product Samples From Nissin Singapore (1 of 2) * Product Samples From Nissin Singapore (2 of 2) * Nissin Cup Noodles Cream Of Chicken Flavour * Nissin Premium Instant Noodles Roasted Beef Flavour * Nissin Cup Noodles Seafood Curry Flavour * Nissin Japanese Ramen Tokyo Shoyu Instant Noodles With Soup Base * Nissin Cup Noodles Tom Yam Seafood Flavour * Nissin Premium Instant Noodles Spicy Beef Flavour * Nissin Japanese Ramen Kyushu Black Instant Noodles With Soup Base * Nissin Cup Noodles Chilli Crab Flavour * Nissin Premium Instant Noodles XO Sauce Seafood Flavour * Nissin Cup Noodles Chicken Flavour * Nissin Chu Qian Yi Ding Sesame Oil Flavour Instant Noodles With Soup Base * Nissin Premium Instant Noodles Roast Beef Flavour * Nissin Cup Noodles Tom Yam Veg Flavour * Nissin Premium Instant Noodles Spicy Beef Flavour * Nissin Cup Noodles Black Pepper Crab Flavour
As it often happens, I looked in my email and found a nice email from an instant noodle company looking to send some samples. Nissin Singapore wanted me to try their new ramen varieties and I asked if they’d be interested in taking part in Meet The Manufacturer, and they were keen on the idea! So here we are with a new Meet The Manufacturer. Here’s the interview I conducted with Sales Manager Michael Ng:
THE RAMEN RATER> Thank you for agreeing to this interview! To start, can you tell my readers about the history of Nissin Singapore?
NISSIN SINGAPORE> Nissin Foods Holding Co. Ltd was founded and established in Japan in 1958. For the past 56 years Nissin has been conscientiously involved in the manufacturing of Instant noodles. To date, Nissin has grown to comprise 24 branches, 50 factories in 17 countries across the world.
Nissin Singapore started in 1979 in Senoko – Singapore with sales office and factory. In 2009 Nissin acquired a popular instant noodles company ‘Myojo’.
In Singapore, Nissin Foods (Asia) Pte Ltd. continues to expand and introduce wide range of products such as Nissin Cup Noodles, Nissin Premium Noodles, Fried Noodles Specialist, Nissin Japan Ramen and Nissin Bowl Noodles.
TRR> What was the first product you made?
NS> First instant noodles were invented by our late Mr. Momofuku Ando, the founder of Nissin Foods in 1958 “Nissin Chicken Ramen”.
TRR> Your company is located in Singapore. Can you tell us a little about your country?
NS> Some refer to Singapore as the “little red dot”, but Singapore’s presence in the world today is larger than that moniker. In fact, Singapore is a bustling cosmopolitan city that offers a world-class living environment, with her landscape populated by high-rise buildings and gardens. One interesting facet you’ll discover about Singapore is a ubiquitous collage of cultures, where people of different ethnicities and beliefs co-exist. Hence; we have a multifarious offering of food – day or night, there will always be something to whet your appetite. With a range of dining options from Peranakan to Chinese, Indian to Malay, fusion and more, you’ll be spoilt for choice
TRR> Can you tell us about the varieties of instant noodles you make?
NS> We have packets noodles which comprises soup, semi dry and dry types, cup noodles and bowl noodles.
TRR> Do people eat your noodles dry as well as cooked?
NS> We have both soup and dry type noodles. Dry types usually are of spicy taste and soup type comes with spicy and non-spicy.
TRR> You’ve got a couple new varieties – premium Kyushu Black and Tokyo Shoyu ramen – can you tell us why they’re so special?
NS> Oh yes, all others instant noodles texture are curly and thin while our premium Kyushu Black and Tokyo Shoyu ramen are made with our new technology that have firmer straight noodles texture. Both noodles are packed with strong aromatic sauces; the results are rich broths that are comparable with most Japanese restaurant serving ramen.
TRR> How many instant noodle products do you produce every year?
NS> About 3 to 5 types for both Nissin and Myojo in a year.
TRR> How do you decide what kinds of new products to manufacture?
NS> We will make a few flavors and conduct survey by food tasting and qualitative survey with respondents to decide on the products to manufacture.
TRR> How does your noodle making process differ from other instant noodle manufacturers?
NS> The distinctive feature of Nissin noodles lies in the product’s unique texture – Nissin noodles are springier and have more ‘bite’. They do not become soggy after cooking.
Nissin Foods (Asia) Pte Ltd. ensures that every item produced goes through stringent in-house quality checks before and during preparation. Raw materials are tested before used. Quality checks are also performed during the manufacturing process to ensure low moisture levels, and to prevent microbiological contamination. As a result, all noodles have undergone a rigorous manufacturing process. From mixing of raw materials to steaming, and then frying, before they are cooled and packed for sales and distribution.
TRR> Are instant noodles the only products you make?
NS> Yes, that is for Singapore.
TRR> A lot of people are concerned with their sodium intake. How would you recommend people enjoy your product as part of a healthy meal?
NS> In most of our cup noodles, we added garnishes such as mushroom, carrot, corn, etc. This is to add varieties and make it a healthier meal for consumers. Having said that, the sodium level use to produce the noodles is of a healthy level that is generally accepted. During food sampling, promoters also advises consumer to add less flavoring provided in the noodles if they find it too salty.
TRR> Are you involved in in your local community or participate in charities?
NS> Yes, we do participate in selected community and charities activities in Singapore.
In July 2013, we participated in an event initiated by a local supermarket – “A Community Engaged – Our Sustainability, My Responsibility” campaign to promote green awareness, racial harmony and social integration by encouraging greater community bonding with a particular focus on youths.
TRR> Are there any new products coming soon?
NS> Yes, there will be new products coming pretty soon this year. You will be informed at the soonest when this product is out.
TRR> In what countries are your products popular? Do people enjoy them differently in different places?
NS> Nissin noodles are quite popular in Hong Kong. They like soupy types that are non-spicy while in Singapore spicy types are popular due to the Muslim community.
TRR> When you make noodles for yourself, what do you like to add to them to make them extra special?
NS> Personally for soup type I would just crack an egg mix it with the noodles while cooking. For dry type, I would add a hard boil egg to it. If I have times, some leafy vegetables would be ideal!
And this is new to me; I have people telling me that they added a slice of cheese to our Cup noodles, pour in hot water and Wala! It is so delicious! Have not tried it myself, perhaps one day.
TRR> Thank you very much for this opportunity to learn more about Nissin Singapore!
Well, there we go! Let’s start Meet The Manufacturer! Special thanks to Michael Ng and Mary Kang as well as all the nice folks over at Nissin Singapore for making this happen!
Interview With Nissin Singapore * Product Samples From Nissin Singapore (1 of 2) * Product Samples From Nissin Singapore (2 of 2) * Nissin Cup Noodles Cream Of Chicken Flavour * Nissin Premium Instant Noodles Roasted Beef Flavour * Nissin Cup Noodles Seafood Curry Flavour * Nissin Japanese Ramen Tokyo Shoyu Instant Noodles With Soup Base * Nissin Cup Noodles Tom Yam Seafood Flavour * Nissin Premium Instant Noodles Spicy Beef Flavour * Nissin Japanese Ramen Kyushu Black Instant Noodles With Soup Base * Nissin Cup Noodles Chilli Crab Flavour * Nissin Premium Instant Noodles XO Sauce Seafood Flavour * Nissin Cup Noodles Chicken Flavour * Nissin Chu Qian Yi Ding Sesame Oil Flavour Instant Noodles With Soup Base * Nissin Premium Instant Noodles Roast Beef Flavour * Nissin Cup Noodles Tom Yam Veg Flavour * Nissin Premium Instant Noodles Spicy Beef Flavour * Nissin Cup Noodles Black Pepper Crab Flavour
