'Just add cold water': Nissin's chilled cup ramyun sells out in a week

A cup ramyun that cooks in cold water instead of hot has become a surprise hit in Japan, selling out within a week of its launch. Nissin Foods — the Japanese company that introduced the world's first instant ramyun in 1958 — spent five years developing the product, which has been credited with tapping into consumer demand for cool, easy meals during the sweltering summer months.

According to Bloomberg, Nissin Foods Holdings launched the cold cup ramyun in Japan on July 20, and the entire initial stock sold out within a week.

Nissin did not disclose specific sales figures, but said the supply it had expected to last one to two months was gone in just seven days.

The new product comes in two flavors — spicy kimchi and chicken salt lemon — priced at 307 yen per cup. Its defining feature is that no hot water is needed at all: pour in cold water, wait five minutes, and it is ready to eat.

Even for Nissin, the inventor of instant ramyun, a cold-water cup ramyun represents new territory. Since founder Ando Momofuku developed instant ramyun in 1958, hot water has been a basic requirement. Even existing cold-style products relied on cooking the noodles in hot water first, then chilling them.

Nissin applied a new patented process that allows the noodles to become soft and chewy in cold water. Product development alone took five years.

Bloomberg said the product's success shows that Nissin — which holds nearly half of Japan's instant ramyun market — could open up an entirely new segment by applying a novel cooking method to a familiar format. The company has invested heavily in new products and flavors to differentiate itself from rivals such as Toyo Suisan and Sanyo Foods.

Linda Huang, an analyst at Macquarie Equity Research, and others said Nissin "is accelerating its rollout of innovative products and flavors to keep pace with increasingly diverse food culture."

The cold cup ramyun spread quickly through social media. Beyond influencer taste-test videos, unconventional recipes emerged — users shared clips of themselves pouring soy milk or tea instead of water to rehydrate the noodles.

The craze spread beyond Japan to Hong Kong. According to Hong Kong outlet The Standard, when a local store held a discount event for the cold cup ramyun, consumers lined up for a chance to try it.

An unexpected use case has also drawn attention. Nissin said it received feedback from consumers noting that the product can be prepared without access to boiling water, making it a potential option for emergency food supplies in the event of a disaster.

However, Nissin has not yet decided whether to expand production, sell the product year-round, or release additional flavors. A company spokesperson said the firm would "take the next steps after comprehensively reviewing future sales performance and other factors."

Arisawa Shoichi, a senior analyst at Iwai Cosmo Securities, said the product would also benefit Nissin's brand image. "Rather than competing on price, the company is creating added value by putting out original products," he said.