is a brand of
instant ramen noodles,
cup noodles, and ''
Yakisoba
(, , ) is a Japanese noodle Stir frying, stir-fried dish. Usually, soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour, but soba in are Chinese-style noodles () made from wheat flour, typically flavored with a condiment similar to Worcestershire sauce ...
'' produced by
Toyo Suisan of
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
. The ''Maruchan'' brand is used for noodle products in Japan and as the operating name for Toyo Suisan's division in the United States, Maruchan Inc. In 1972, Toyo Suisan entered the American market with Maruchan USA, and in 1977, established a plant in
Irvine, California
Irvine () is a Planned community, planned city in central Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was named in 1888 for the landowner James Irvine. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the ...
. Maruchan has other plants in
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
, and one in
Bexar County, Texas
Bexar County ( or ; ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is San Antonio.
As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 2,009,324, making it the st ...
. Maruchan produces over 3.6 billion packages of ramen noodle soup a year. In the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, Maruchan ramen is widely popular.
History
Toyo Suisan Kaisha, Ltd of
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, founded on March 28, 1953, is a consumer
packaged foods company in Japan. Toyo Suisan's effort to become an international food company brought them to the United States, where, in 1972, they established Maruchan USA. At first, Maruchan USA was only a marketing company, importing and distributing ramen from Japan. After operating for five years as a distributor of imported products, Maruchan built its manufacturing facility in
Irvine, California
Irvine () is a Planned community, planned city in central Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was named in 1888 for the landowner James Irvine. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the ...
, in 1977, where it began producing Maruchan brand ramen. Since 1977 Maruchan has grown steadily and has become an industry leader in North America, alongside other instant noodle brands such as
Top Ramen
is an American brand of instant ramen noodles introduced in 1970 by Nissin Foods.
History
Instant noodles were invented in 1958 by Momofuku Ando, the Taiwanese-born founder of the Japanese cuisine, Japanese food company Nissin Foods, Nissin. ...
and
Sapporo Ichiban.
Name
Maruchan is a Japanese word composed of two parts, maru and chan. Maru means round, as in the shape of a ball or a happy child's face. In Japanese, roundness has a connotation of friendliness. The word
chan is an
honorific
An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an Honorary title (academic), h ...
suffix, used affectionately for a child or as a term of endearment.
See also
*
List of instant noodle brands
*
References
External links
Official website(Japanese)
Official website(English)
{{authority control
Companies based in Tokyo
Japanese brand foods
Food and drink companies of Japan
Instant noodle brands of Japan
Food and drink companies established in 1972
Japanese companies established in 1972
Privately held companies of Japan