Sapporo Ichiban

Sapporo Ichiban
Product typeInstant noodles (ramen, yakisoba)
OwnerSanyo Foods
Produced bySanyo Foods
CountryJapan

Sapporo Ichiban (サッポロ一番) is a brand of instant noodles (primarily ramen) manufactured by Sanyo Foods [ja] of Maebashi, Gunma, Japan. Sapporo Ichiban noodles are also manufactured in Garden Grove, California, for the United States and Canadian market.

Sapporo Ichiban has also found a market outside Japan, most notably with consumers in Hong Kong, the United States, Mexico, Argentina and Canada.

Sapporo Ichiban literally means "Sapporo's number one [noodle]", coined by future company president Takeshi Ida after he was particularly impressed with Sapporo's local ramen.

Facilities and manufacturing

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Sanyo Foods had previously kept their headquarters, and R&D all in their original town of Maebashi city, Gunma prefecture, but their headquarters have legally moved to Minato-ku, Tokyo. They have built their plants for domestic products in Gunma, Chiba, Nara, and Fukuoka. There is a small sales branch in Sapporo. Products sold in the United States are made in Garden Grove, California.

Products

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Ramen

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Ramen flavors include:

  • "Original" (Red package) a mild soy sauce flavor, debuted in stores January 1966.
  • Miso (Orange package), debuted in stores September 1968.
  • Shio (Salt) (Black and Red package), debuted in stores August 1971.
  • Tonkotsu (Gold package)
  • Chicken (Green package)
  • Beef (Brown package)
  • Shrimp (Pink package)
  • Hot & Spicy Chicken (Green and Red package)
  • Original Cup
  • Chicken Cup
  • Beef Cup
  • Shrimp Cup

Non-ramen products

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  • Yakisoba / Chow mein (Yellow, orange and white package). This is not a ramen soup, but ramen noodles meant to be reconstituted, then stir-fried with the enclosed flavour package. Traditionally, ground beef and Chinese cabbage are added to the stir-fry and seaweed is sprinkled on top from the included pouch if preparing yakisoba, but only the seaweed is included in the package.
  • Kitsune – Kitsune udon (Blue and white package). This is a package of dehydrated udon noodles instead of ramen, with a reconstitutable square of tofu. This item has been discontinued in the United States in spite of great demand found online.

See also

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