This is comfort food at its most comforting. Open a packet to make instant soupy noodles. Crack an egg in to make it nourishing. Or just pop open the packet, add a lashing of seasoning and spiced oil for a crunchy snack. Wai Wai has won hearts across the subcontinent. Now, this Nepal-based instant noodles is set to make headway into the European market with a new plant being set up in Serbia.
The 9.5-hectare plant in Ruma employs over 400 people to churn out packets of Wai Wai to tickle European taste buds. Says Varun Chaudhary, executive director of CG Corp Global, the company that manufactures Wai Wai, “Serbia has excellent bilateral trade with EU as well as with East European countries. They also have good quality wheat and it seemed like a great way to make headway in the sector.”
But this is only the beginning, he says. They plan to expand production and their distribution base in South Asian countries and Africa. For now, however, they’re focussing on establishing themselves in the European market. “Our strong desire to differentiate ourselves from ‘me-too’ noodles led to this instant noodles being introduced in a ready-to-eat form, unlike other similar products,” says Chaudhary.
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Wai Wai noodles are pre-cooked and then packed, which enables consumers to eat it straight out of a bag. While the two original flavours — veg masala and chicken masala — since inception have been retained, Wai Wai has introduced new flavours over time. Known for its zingy flavour, the instant noodles have been fine tuned keeping European tastes in mind. “But the originality is intact,”says Chaudhary, adding, “We’re planning to introduce new flavours specifically for Europe.”