Boiled fresh udon noodles
Monde Nissin Corp, the Philippines biggest instant noodle player, has recently made available the premium Lucky Me! Udon series of bowl instant noodle in the country. The boiled fresh noodles comprise Miso, Tempura and Tantanmen and are priced at PHP 69 (USD 1.35) per bowl.
Made in Thailand
The udon series are manufactured by Monde Nissin (Thailand) Co., Ltd. The range was first officially launched in Thailand in April 2016 and comprises Miso, Tempura and Tom Yum Goong. They are also available in pack in Thailand.
Lucky Me! udon launching event in Thailand in April 2016 (image above)
Real meat and vegetable
Unlike Indomie Real Meat and Mayora’s Bakmi Mewah with meat in retorted pouch, Lucky Me! Udon comes with freeze-dried vegetables and dehydrated minced pork. Still, Lucky Me! Udon Miso and Tantanmen are able to claim to have “real meat and veg” on the packaging. The Udon Tempura comes with a crispy tempura cake.
Image above was photographed by the author at SM Supermarket at SM Mall of Asia, August 2017
The soup is made from long-boiled pork broth to deliver the authentic taste of Japanese udon noodle.
Here are the product descriptions and ingredients on the pack.
Premium pricing
At PHP 69, Lucky Me! Udon is the most expensive cup/bowl noodle in the Philippines on a price basis but still comparably cheaper than Lucky Me! Supreme Sotanghon on a per volume basis.
In-store trial
Image above was photographed by the author at SM Savemore in Manila, August 2017
We have seen similar in-store trial by Nestle Maggi instant noodles for its premium range in Malaysia. In the Philippines, Monde Nissin is working with SM to offer customers with a chance to taste the noodle at the food court. The noodles are on a buy one get one free promotion at SM Savemore Market. Also available at the foodcourt was Indomie Mi Goreng.
Image above was photographed by the author at SM Savemore, August 2017
It is not the first time Monde Nissin is making available its instant noodles at foodcourt. It previously operated Yakiudon bar at SM.
Image above was from Running Pinoy
Monde Nissin has spent a lot of effort in point-of-sale marketing to promote its Lucky Me! Udon series even at the cashier to raise awareness.
Image above was photographed by the author at SM Supermarket at SM Mall of Asia in August 2017
What Mini Me thinks
The instant noodle category is moving up the instant noodle ladder with more premium offerings to encourage consumers to trade up to more expensive products. Obviously, the high price point is a concern for most consumers who are still accustomed to the PHP 25 level per for cup/bowl instant noodle.
Image above was photographed by the author at SM Supermarket at SM Mall of Asia in August 2017
