CreatripTeam

Pulmuone developed a chewy, healthy soy-based noodle (doyumyeon) after nearly 20 months and over 1,000 formulation tests to match wheat noodle texture without flour. Team leader Jo Seong-bin, a longtime tofu expert, credits Pulmuone’s legacy in tofu technology—rapid cooling, plastic packaging and decades of R&D—for enabling quality soy noodles. Launched from 2023–2024 in multiple formats (thin, flat, buckwheat, cold dongchimi naengmyeon and perilla oil makguksu), the soy noodles addressed concerns about blood sugar spikes and calories, driving 249% year-on-year sales growth in Q2 and 318% growth in July. The company also launched a “Kentucky-style fried tofu” in collaboration with chef Edward Lee, aiming to recreate fried chicken-like flavor and texture. Jo highlighted celebrity praise from singer Lee Hyori (a well-known vegan/vegetarian advocate) and noted consumer gratitude, including from older customers with diabetes who can now enjoy noodle dishes. (doyumyeon: soy-based noodle; dongchimi naengmyeon: cold radish-water kimchi noodle dish; makguksu: buckwheat noodle dish)