I wouldn’t have known this, until I ran the analytics
That our favorite noodle is Hakka Noodles. And we like rice noodles and regularly look for it. The pandemic has only given hakka the intensity but both have made their mark even before the covid19 lock down and trend in ‘comfort food’ picked up. Consumer whispers to us all the time. I also cannot help but find the connection with south-east Asian cuisines (Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia), which Indians have taken so favorably too.
Every time we hear a discussion around ‘maida in noodles’, we immediately see ‘atta noodles’ as the alternative. But that needn’t be. It would be interesting to have the numbers on atta and evaluate if it has displaced other flavor or it has expanded the noodle segment with more choices for the consumer.
Looks like hakka has grown in strength and will top of our noodle pick next time we go for the ‘Chinese’. So hakka makers, stock up !
Interest in rice noodle is steady ! And the choice could be direct (‘we want rice noodles’) or we may prefer a certain variety a ‘thai’ or ‘pad thai’ (both are rice based). Indians have their own version in sevai, but they are not exactly eaten as a noodle.
Indians have taken a fancy to variety (or maybe we just started tracking it). Its not just Chinese which is our friend when it comes to Noodles. Japanese, Korean, Thai, Malaysian, Cantonese, Singaporean, Tibetan all have caught on.
Takeaways
- Interest in noodle (overall) dropped in March and April and started recovering from May. But we are still not close to the level seen during the second half of 2019.
- Hakka Noodles are by far the most popular noodles and the interest had exploded during the lock down. Chinese noodles are still popular and September saw their highest interest in 6 months.
- Cup noodles are on the rise. And we all know why.
- Our health concerns has spilled onto our selection of noodles. Shirataki also called ‘miracle’ noodle (low calorie) has caught on. People have become conscious of gluten-free and noodles made from buckwheat. These are still in the early stages of interest but can become mainstream if brands start introducing new products and then educating the consumers. Do you smell opportunity ?
- We tried to profile noodle lovers and asked. What do people also look for when ordering noodle or what are alternatives to noodle (substitute if you will ?). Soup, Pasta, Gobi Manchurian and fried rice, in this order. A growing alternative to noodle according to our data is also momo. Some of us would already know that !
- Next time you order noodles for party at home or office (fingers crossed), pay close attention to what you have ordered. According to our Artificial Intelligence, you will have chosen the chicken, vegetable, egg, prawn noodles, in terms of quantity and in that order.
- And our statistics also says, if you were to give instruction to noodle chef, you will have preferred garlic, peppers, mushroom and onion, in that order.
- Maggi is the leader in instant noodles. And we all know that. But other brands like yippee, top ramen, wai wai, ching’s secret all have built a consistent brand recall in the last 6 months. Brands which are in growth phase would be Knorr, Koka and Indomie. People are ready for noodle soup now and that is primarily driving Knorr. The competitions will only get intense on flavor and variety.
- One interesting growth has been in vermicelli (sevai), specifically as breakfast food.
- Only one Indian brand is offering hakka instant noodles. We can do better.
Data source : Google
