A highly indulging and versatile packed noodle, Indomie, is one of Indonesia’s most famous brand in the world. Indomie was launched in 1972 and is now available in many countries, including the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Middle East, according Indomie’s manufacturer PT Indofood Sukses Makmur.
Recent press release from the Guardian reported that Indomie ranked first among consumer goods in Africa according the Kantar Worldpanel’s Brand Footprint ranking for 2016. The study coverd 15,000 brands, 200 categories, 44 countries, 5 continents, representing 74 per cent of the global population.
Indomie, which belongs to the pasta category, achieved the report’s highest number of Consumer Reach Points (CRPs), a metric that measures brand penetration and buying frequency, based on one billion household decisions made by consumers in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) category all over West, East and Central Africa for the year 2016.
The annual report based on consumer behavior data collected from over 300 billion shopper decisions, also ranked Indomie the most purchased brand in the world. No wonder I can easily find Indomie even more than ten thousand miles from Indonesia, from an oriental food market in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom to a small food shop in rural Ethiopian city in Africa.
Despite harsh economic meltdown affected business in 2016, This Day, a Nigerian’s newspaper, reported that Indomie is striving. It is the heart of most meals and associated with healthy diet and nutrition. The brand even grants the Indomie M.Sc Nutrition Scholarship awards for postgraduate students from different universities.
Indomie started making noodles in Nigeria in the mid-1990s. However, funnily enough, because the Indomie brand is very ingrained in African lifestyle, most Africans claim that Indomie is an African brand. The Economist clarified this in its recent article by stating that Indomie was as an Indonesian firm and it contributed to the rise of wheat noodles and the change of rice-based diet in Africa.
So, what’s your favourite Indomie flavour?
