LIMA—A Japanese ramen enthusiast has turned his passion into a thriving business an ocean away in a country with no historical ramen culture.
Kenichi Kobayashi, 61, has become a driving force for making authentic ramen readily available in Peru since founding Nan Foods, a local business that makes fresh noodles.
The former employee of Ajinomoto Co. traces his roots to Asahikawa, Hokkaido, where he ate the dish almost every day for six years while on assignment in his 30s.
He would spend his lunch breaks exploring ramen shops with colleagues and post reviews on his blog.
Then came an assignment to Peru to develop instant noodles for home consumption.
In the early 2000s, there were no instant noodle companies in the country.
Out of respect for the local culinary culture of soups, Kobayashi marketed the product as “soup with noodles.” It became a runaway hit.
While receiving dental treatment, he met Patricia, a Peruvian dentist of Japanese descent, and the two eventually married.
After subsequent stints in Brazil and Nigeria, Kobayashi spent some time away from noodles.
However, a company offer of early retirement during the height of the novel coronavirus pandemic became a turning point.
Fortuitously, a ramen boom was sweeping Peru around that time, and restaurants were relying on expensive frozen fresh noodles imported from the United States.
Sensing an opportunity, Kobayashi moved there with his family.
Bringing along a Japanese noodle-making machine purchased with his retirement payout, he founded Nan Foods at the age of 57.
After perfecting his fresh noodles over 44 trial batches, Kobayashi and his wife made the rounds of restaurants with his pride and joy.
However, no one initially gave his unknown company the time of day.
Undeterred, they went door to door, listened to each shop’s requests for color and thickness and repeatedly made new prototypes.
Before they knew it, the company’s lineup of fresh noodles had grown to 40 varieties.
Kobayashi tailored his products to fit Peruvian tastes, developing noodles blended with local specialties such as quinoa and maca.
Other innovations include noodles designed for high altitudes where water boils at a lower temperature.
His noodles earned a reputation for being chewy and authentic. Nan Foods’ clientele expanded to 70 restaurants, about half of the establishments serving ramen in the capital of Lima.
In his relentless pursuit of improved flavor, Kobayashi makes noodles daily and eats at least 12 bowls a week.
Ramen can change with the slightest adjustment in the flour blend and the broth. The more Kobayashi makes ramen, the less he can pin down its true nature.
“I am sinking deeper and deeper into the ramen rabbit hole,” he said.
AloJapan.com