Recently, while chatting with a distributor, I noticed that a product under Jinmailang's zero-fried line sold 10,000 units in a single month for a city distributor! And it has maintained this record steadily for several months. Another distributor in a lower-tier market (county) told me that the same product also maintains a steady 1,000 units per month. The banmian (board noodles) that recently went viral on Douyin is also one of Jinmailang's "0-Fried Healthy Noodles" series. Amid the overwhelming wave of positive reviews online, both online and offline, banmian is now in short supply. While everyone is anxious about the post-pandemic decline in instant noodle shipments and increasing pressure, Jinmailang's Lanfanfan zero-fried series is swimming against the tide, becoming a bright spot this winter. Should instant noodles be red or green? In everyone's inherent perception, instant noodles are appetizing bright red, seen on high-speed trains and at tourist attractions. But recently, a bucket of green "braised beef noodles" appeared in the industry, with its unexpected green color, carrying Jinmailang's ambition to be an industry disruptor, deliberately becoming the one green amidst the sea of internet celebrities. Jinmailang's green is more of a category perception differentiation. The classic braised beef noodles in green packaging under Lanfanfan, as a new category of "0-fried healthy noodles," has marketing that breaks out: the overwhelming "Green Cow Dance" and the green held by "Uncle Wang" Wang Yaoqing, representing petty bourgeoisie and life quality, all declare an attitude. FMCG is a brutally competitive market. According to Kantar Consumer Index data, FMCG launches 84,908 new products annually, with food and beverages accounting for 67%, meaning over 60,000 new products each year. However, there is much blind innovation, but few true innovations. The above data shows that the survival rate for new FMCG products is only 13%, and for food and beverages, only 15%. Based on this, of the 60,000 new food and beverage products launched annually, only 9,000 survive in the market. How did "Green Cow" manage to break conventions and peak at debut? Why can a single product under Jinmailang's Lanfanfan zero-fried series make distributors sell 10,000 units in a month? It is understood that for some Jinmailang distributors, the total sales share of zero-fried series products has already approached half of their overall volume. Behind the data, distributors feel more keenly that "0-fried" instant noodles are gaining momentum, so the new "Green Cow" was snapped up upon launch, with distributors stocking up overnight. In this green carnival, it may be a release for the 30-plus-year-old braised beef flavor: "Times have changed, people have changed, and instant noodles should change too." But in fact, Jinmailang, which is the most sensitive, resolute, and fastest to respond to the health trend in instant noodles, has been preparing for this moment for a long time. 20 Years of "0-Fried" Technology Breakthroughs Category Creation Stems from "Accumulated Strength" Undoubtedly, 0-fried instant noodles are more prominent in attributes like "health" and "nutrition." However, due to production technology bottlenecks, the taste differs greatly from fresh noodles, posing promotion challenges. It is understood that previous 0-fried instant noodles mainly used corrugated or wavy noodles, using steam-cooking or extrusion-cooking processes, with one-time hot-air drying, resulting in issues like non-fluffy noodle cakes, long rehydration times, low water absorption, poor dispersion, and hard, non-springy texture. Few people know that Jinmailang has been dormant in the "0-fried healthy noodles" category for over 20 years. Starting more than 20 years ago, Jinmailang began tackling technology challenges, from the first-generation product for boiling to the fifth-generation Lanfanfan. Through 31 major breakthroughs, 48 product iterations, and 583 recipe designs and process experiments, they achieved the "high-dispersion, high-rehydration, non-fried instant noodle processing key technology," with water absorption up to 155%, achieving rapid rehydration in 3 minutes, and was awarded the "0-fried healthy noodles" category pioneer by the China Food Industry Association. Jinmailang's long-termism on the "0-fried" route broke through the rehydration time and water absorption bottlenecks of similar products domestically and internationally. At the same time, Jinmailang has also researched FD freeze-drying freshness-locking technology for 10 years. It is this massive investment and persistence in R&D that gives Jinmailang the confidence to create a new category. A "National Product" with Hard Strength All Over Only Lacking a Timing for Detonation As a leading enterprise in the traditional instant food sector, Jinmailang is a rare full-industry-chain enterprise in the instant noodle field, recognized as a leading agricultural industrialization enterprise by eight national ministries, with a 450,000-mu high-quality wheat planting base. Jinmailang is not only the first instant food enterprise to receive national-level industrial design center certification but also the only instant food enterprise on the China Private Manufacturing 500 list. Additionally, Jinmailang has invested over 1 billion yuan to build the world's largest 0-fried super instant noodle factory... With technological accumulation and product advantages, excellent categories can stand out. Jinmailang's Lanfanfan "Green Cow" is a category innovation for consumers and distributors, but for Jinmailang, it is the "thin release" after "thick accumulation." Without long-term health layout, there would be no "Green Cow" noodles dominating screens. As Jinmailang Chairman Fan Xianguo said, products that capture consumer pain points through value innovation are the "sharp knife" products. Such products may have a period of energy accumulation, not yet seen by the industry as a formidable new force at the beginning, but over time, they will show huge growth momentum, leading and transforming the entire industry. Not Competing for Survival in Low-End Products Using High-End New Products to Win Over Young People Jinmailang's high-end brand, Lanfanfan, was born with a clear positioning of "only 0-fried," high-end and youthful. Multiple products under the Lanfanfan series are sought after and loved by young people. Why is "Green Cow" so awesome? Jinmailang's innovation philosophy comes from "creating old." How to create old? It means making the familiar old elements in instant noodles "common enough" and the new elements' "characteristics thorough." First, among instant noodles, braised beef is a classic and best-selling flavor. How to make a memorable feature under such a classic flavor? "Green Cow" is another masterpiece by design master Pan Hu. In the appearance economy, the eye-catching green stands out among products, creating visual impact and surprise, quickly attracting consumer curiosity. Design master: Pan Hu Second, besides packaging differences, how to make differentiation thorough? "0-fried" is a benefit point completely different from old products. The 0-fried noodle cake has 20% fewer calories and 50% less fat than fried noodle cakes. Under the pressure of modern fast-paced life, a bowl of instant noodles without "guilt" naturally becomes a "burden-free" choice for young people. Historical data shows that since the launch of the Lanfanfan 0-fried series, it has been deeply loved by Gen Z consumers and refined mothers, quickly reaching an 11.4% sales share, and by 2023, achieving a 21% average monthly sales share. Jinmailang 0-fried series sales share monthly average trend chart Furthermore, "Green Cow" not only rehydrates in 3 minutes but also retains the straight noodles and soft-springy texture that Chinese people love. In terms of taste, it uses selected high-quality beef bone broth, FD freeze-dried ingredients, upgraded with visible real large meatballs, selected fresh corn, cowpea, and black fungus, giving every bite a rich layering. It is not only as convenient and delicious as other instant noodles, but even surpasses them. Fan Xianguo predicts: "It is expected that from 2020 to 2030, China's instant noodle sales volume will remain basically unchanged, but sales value will double. Based on current amounts, roughly estimated, by 2030, China's instant noodle market will exceed 100 billion yuan. Behind this 100 billion yuan, I believe the development of fried instant noodles has peaked, and 0-fried healthy noodles and home-prepared noodles will become new growth drivers. Fried noodles, 0-fried healthy noodles, and home-prepared noodles will divide the market into three parts." Understanding the commonalities and characteristics behind the product also tells you who to sell to and how. At launch, Jinmailang's Lanfanfan "Green Cow" noodles played a beautiful combination punch in marketing and channels. Uncle Wang's Green Cow Dance Dominating Screens Jinmailang's Marketing Strategy is Confident National uncle "Wang Yaoqing" became the first new product experience officer for Jinmailang's Lanfanfan "Green Cow" noodles. Uncle Wang, appearing with a catchy "Green Cow Dance," praised "Green Cow" highly: a green braised beef noodle; 0-fried healthy noodles, mothers can rest assured when children eat; "If not delicious, no money" and other catchphrases accurately summarize the product's features, simple and memorable, occupying the health mindset. In addition to the self-propagating screen dominance of the promotional video, "Green Cow" also launched a "If not delicious, no money" consumer tasting activity. On official stores on platforms like JD.com and Tmall, if you buy a box of Jinmailang Lanfanlang Green Classic Braised Beef Flavor 0-Fried Bucket Noodles, you can open any one bucket for tasting. If unsatisfied, you can return the remaining products for a full refund. In offline channels, a large-scale online live-stream ordering meeting was also launched simultaneously. According to feedback from a Jinmailang distributor, the previous 0-fried product, the Xunwei Zhonghua series, sold very well. This new product "Green Cow" has very favorable policies, not only high profits but also the manufacturer fully bears the cost of handling near-expiry products. He placed an order for over a thousand units immediately. "The 0-fried products have been selling for almost half a year now, with steady growth. Plus, the company pays close attention to this product, defining it as Jinmailang's future product. I believe 0-fried will be a big single product that will explode in the future. I will keep having salespeople promote it, and Jinmailang has also set aside some rewards for salespeople to do tasting and display sales," said a distributor. Final Thoughts From a product perspective, 0-fried instant noodles are not a new concept, but how to occupy consumer minds and truly deepen the 0-fried attribute is a long road. From an industry perspective, most brands are still watching, with few entrants. Jinmailang has been accumulating water for 20 years. Now that the time is ripe, launching this heavyweight new product, if successful, will inevitably lead the rise of the entire category, drive peers to enter, and make the category bigger and stronger. This move clearly shows Jinmailang's far-reaching strategic goals and its clear and firm sense of responsibility as an industry leader. The future development is worth looking forward to together.